Growing up in a health-conscious society, many of us are familiar with advisory warnings that we “are what we eat.” Also seeking to promote social responsibility, we are also defined by the company we keep. But according to research, we are also apparently influenced, for better or for worse, by what we see; or perhaps more specifically, what we pay attention to.
Hope Springs Eternal, But Begins Now
Whether going into the holidays, beginning a new year, or starting a new chapter in life, “hope springs eternal” is an age-old saying. But is that the way most people feel? Especially amid change and uncertainty, people often experience the opposite, plagued by negative emotions. In a world of uncertainty, financial depression, and violent massacres often in the headline news, many people experience symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. However, according to some research, there are ways to refocus our attention to maximize the opportunity to regain a healthy perspective on the future.
Get Happy: Boosting Feelings Through Focus
Lucas J.A. Kelberer and colleagues (2018) explored the intersection between attention and positive emotions in a paper entitled, “Optimism, Hope, and Attention for Emotional Stimuli.”[i] They describe optimism and hope as individual difference factors linked with numerous psychological benefits, such as a heightened sense of self-esteem, a reduced risk of experiencing anxiety and symptoms of depression, decreased suicidal ideation and rumination, and a higher degree of subjective psychological well-being. Distinguishing between the two future-oriented constructs, they define optimism as a “stable, general individual difference factor that is comprised of positive mood, attitude, or opinion about future events,” and hope as encompassing a person’s perceived capacity to derive and utilize new pathways to reach their goals. These concepts are also apparently distinct in the way they contribute to individual well-being.
The Optics of Optimism
Kelberer and colleagues had study participants complete an eye-tracking task to measure the amount of attention paid to emotional scenes. They found that both hope and optimism were linked with paying less attention to negative information, such as images that were threatening or dysphoric, but also found more distinct benefits with optimism. Optimism was associated with paying a greater amount of attention to positive information, and may thereby actually function as a buffer against distress through enhancing bases towards adaptive attention. Although hope was not associated with paying an increased amount of attention to positive stimuli, it is noteworthy that higher levels of both hope and optimism were linked with fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Kelberer and colleagues note that their findings are in contrast to previous research that found higher levels of optimism to be linked with an increased amount of time paying attention to threatening information, which they suggest might be attributed to the difference in stimuli because they used an eye-tracking task to study attention to emotional scenes while previous studies used word stimuli. The researchers also note that one of the strengths of using eye-tracking is that it is a naturalistic and generalizable method for measuring attention biases because it allows participants to freely gaze at emotional stimuli without measuring reaction times, which they note can be unreliable.
Trigger Warning: Controlling What You See
Many people are grateful for the heads-up provided by warnings that they are about to view graphic content, giving them the option of turning the channel or averting their eyes. In light of research on attentional biases, at least visually, such content control may also be a positive way to improve mood.
If we are what we see, at least in terms of enhancing pleasurable feelings of optimism and hope, perhaps there is value in seeking to enjoy what is good, while still absorbing a balanced diet of information to stay informed. Because knowledge is power, the goal is not to sugarcoat negative news, but also not to dwell on disaster. A healthy blend of discretion can create a brighter future, filled with (more) feelings of hope and happiness.
References
[i] Kelberer, Lucas J. A., Morganne A. Kraines, and Tony T. Wells. 2018. “Optimism, Hope, and Attention for Emotional Stimuli.” Personality and Individual Differences 124 (April): 84–90. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.12.003.
Boosting Feelings Through Focus: You Are What You See
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21.12.2023
Growing up in a health-conscious society, many of us are familiar with advisory warnings that we “are what we eat.” Also seeking to promote social responsibility, we are also defined by the company we keep. But according to research, we are also apparently influenced, for better or for worse, by what we see; or perhaps more specifically, what we pay attention to.
Hope Springs Eternal, But Begins Now
Whether going into the holidays, beginning a new year, or starting a new chapter in life, “hope springs eternal” is an age-old saying. But is that the way most people feel? Especially amid change and uncertainty, people often experience the opposite, plagued by negative emotions. In a world of uncertainty, financial depression, and violent massacres often in the headline news, many people experience symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. However, according to some research, there are ways to refocus our attention to maximize the opportunity to regain a healthy perspective on the future.
Get Happy: Boosting Feelings Through Focus
Lucas J.A. Kelberer and colleagues (2018)........
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