Optimism & Neuroscience: A Personal Story

In this episode of Delusional Optimism, Dr. B shares her personal story about a road accident that happened 26 years ago and how optimism contributed to her recovery. She also talks about the two sides of the brain that host optimism and pessimism and the function of each.

Listen in to learn why too much optimism can be risky and needs to be regulated to keep you safe.

 

“We have to be delusional optimistically- imagine what our new world is going to look like and that’s going to take an effort from everybody.” [25:22]

 

What You Will Learn:

• [1:11] Intro
• [2:33] The definition of both an optimist and pessimist.
• [4:26] How Dr. B always sees opportunity even in negative situations.
• [4:50] She narrates the story of a road accident that happened to her 26 years ago and how optimism worked in her during her recovery and getting back to normal.
• [10:44] How being an optimist helps people recover from adversities.
• [14:00] Optimism resides in the active mode of the brain that sends positive feedback from your motor movements.
• [16:22] Pessimism lives right opposite optimism and makes us overly cautious and watchful about things. It minimizes the ability to be confident in our effectiveness in life.
• [17:41] Why optimism has to be mediated by other parts of the brain to minimize overly risky behaviors.
• [18:30] Learning how to work your optimism spirit to go past any life’s hurdle.
• [24:10] How we can make our world a better place from now on by being delusional optimists.

Relevant Links:

Website: https://www.drbconnections.com/