Optimism and pessimism are associated with important outcomes including health and depression. Yet it is unclear if these apparent polar opposites form a single dimension or reflect two distinct systems. The extent to which personality accounts for differences in optimism/pessimism is also controversial. Here, we addressed these questions in a genetically informative sample of 852 pairs of twin...

Optimism, socioeconomic, leadership, transformationaltransactional, small enterprises. The role of optimism and socioeconomic characteristics of managers on leadership practices in small enterprises, in Bogotá, Colombia, was determined. Ninety managers completed the Leadership Practices Inventory and The Revised Life Orientation Test, as well as they provided information about personal and busi...

Optimism is thought to be beneficial for health, and these effects may be mediated through modifications in psychophysiological stress reactivity. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with reduced cardiovascular responses to stress and heightened cortisol over the day. This study assessed the relationships between optimism, stress responsivity, and daily cortisol output in people with T2D. A tot...

BACKGROUND Persons with an optimistic attitude do not give up despite obstacles and failures. Optimistic athletes compete more out of hope for success than out of fear of defeat. The purpose of my research was to determine if optimism also promotes good health behavior in athletes. MATERIAL/METHODS In order to measure the role of optimism in shaping the health behavior of athletes, I examined...

Overoptimistic predictions are common in software engineering projects, e.g., the average software project cost overrun is about 30%. This paper examines the use of two popular general tests of optimism (the ASQ and the LOT-R test) to select software engineers that are less likely to provide overoptimistic predictions. A necessary, but not sufficient, condition for this use is that there is a s...

This paper provides a novel understanding of delays in reaching agreements: second-order optimism. Under second-order optimism, it is “common knowledge” that there will be delays in reaching agreement. Nonetheless, negotiators do not put forward offers that both parties objectively prefer, because they fear that, by doing so, the other party will become more optimistic about her future prospect...

Background and Objectives: Spiritual well-being is one of the most important aspects of the quality of life that affects women's health and development. The present study aimed to evaluate the predictive role of spiritual well-being for optimism and life expectancy among women who referred to health centers. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted based on a correlational research design...