The Optimism Bias: It Won’t Happen To Me

I think of the optimism bias more as a self-protective touch of positive narcissism. It is good to imagine we are smart, healthy, popular, and attractive. This is the optimism bias with an encouraging tweak. It is wonderful to sail through life imagining lovely things. The bad part of the optimism bias is that we disregard the reality of an overall situation, because we think we are excluded from the merciless nightmares of life. The optimism bias at its worst, is when we tend to disregard warning labels in life and falsely assume we are invincible. Many continue to smoke cigarettes, despite the warnings of health problems. Many drive while drunk despite the information that tells us it invariably leads to accidents or even death. On the other hand, the optimism bias helps one focus on the positive and research has shown that an upbeat outlook can physically help our bodies to fight stress and disease. The optimism bias keeps us moving forward and fighting for our best existence.