Gina Vangeli’s life hasn’t been easy. As a child, she was bullied; as an adult, she faced abuse, along with the breakdown of two marriages and recurring health problems – including being hit by a truck in 2016. Last year, COVID-19 wiped out her livelihood as a pastry chef.
To make ends meet, single mother of four in Melbourne, Australia, has been volunteering at a food bank in exchange for food parcels
She stayed productive during the long months of lockdown by writing a book, taking courses, and rejigging her pastry business to include an online component
Optimism bias
This is known as ‘optimism bias’, something that 80% of the global population possess to some degree
- Thinking positively is an evolutionary hallmark
- It facilitates envisioning what is possible, allowing us to be courageous and innovative
- Levels of optimism bias vary according to our mental state and current circumstances, and there are ways to temper or increase it
- Only 10% of people are considered bias-free
- Another 10% have pessimism bias, with lawyers often found among this group
- In cultures in which optimism is considered a good thing, such as the US and Australia, people are more likely to self-identify as optimists
How to guard against optimism bias
American psychologist Martin Seligman teaches people to cultivate a more optimistic viewpoint by ascribing permanent causes to positive things and temporary ones to negative things
- This cultivates a positive self-view that makes us optimistic about our future prospects
- Good things happen for reasons inherent to the individual, while bad things are attributed to causes that can be remedied
- A little optimism does go a long way. Vangeli feels confident that optimism has served her well throughout her life, propelling her onwards in even the most trying circumstances. And that same optimism may well position her for success when the pandemic is under control
