英語學習點: Optimism Vocabulary 樂觀主義詞匯

Ever won the lottery? No? But did that stop you buying another lottery ticket?

If the answer is another 'no', you might call yourself an optimist.

But then, according to researchers at University College London, human beings are naturally sanguine creatures.

It is all in the brain, they say. A study suggests it is very efficient at processing good news: about 80% of people have a tendency to see the glass as half-full, not half-empty, even if they don't consider themselves to be optimists.

The good news is that this brings a health benefit. Being upbeat and having a positive outlook on life reduces anxiety. A study of nearly 100,000 women showed a lower risk of death from heart disease amongst optimists.

But there are pitfalls to always having an upbeat attitude. The authors of the study point out the 2008 financial crisis may have been caused by analysts overestimating their assets' performance even in the face of clear evidence to the contrary.

There are personal health risks too. Dr Tali Sharot, lead researcher, said: "'Smoking Kills' messages don't work as people think their chances of cancer are low. There's a very fundamental bias in the brain."

But, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. Even if seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses poses a risk to our health, it's not something that is likely to cause us to lose sleep.

Let's just keep our chins up and keep smiling!