Optimism and pessimism

2017 ◽  
pp. 48-77
Author(s):  
Andrew MacLeod
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Disorders ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Outlook ◽  
The Future ◽  
Consistent Support

Optimism and pessimism are commonly used ways of talking about a future outlook. Chapter 3 discusses questions such as whether people are, in general optimistically biased and whether those who are depressed are more accurate in their predictions for the future. A variety of ways of defining optimism–pessimism have been developed, from describing a broad attitude to the future through to beliefs in the likelihood of events happening to oneself compared to others. Evidence suggests that, on the whole, people have an optimistic outlook, although the extent of this might depend on how it is measured as well as on other factors such as culture and age. Those low in well-being and those suffering from psychological disorders are less optimistic and more pessimistic than average, but the idea that they are less biased and more accurate has not received consistent support.

The art of planning ahead: when do we prepare for the future and when is it effective? (under review)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Huijser ◽  
Niels Anne Taatgen ◽  
Marieke K. van Vugt
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Task Preparation ◽  
Memory Integration ◽  
The Future ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm ◽  
Consistent Support

Preparing for the future during ongoing activities is an essential skill. Yet, it is currently unclear to what extent we can prepare for the future in parallel with another task. In two experiments, we investigated how characteristics of a present task influenced whether and when participants prepared for the future, as well as its usefulness. We focused on the influence of concurrent working memory load, assuming that working memory would interfere most strongly with preparation. In both experiments, participants performed a novel sequential dual-task paradigm, in which they could voluntary prepare for a second task while performing a first task. We identified task preparation by means of eye tracking, through detecting when participants switched their gaze from the first to the second task. The results showed that participants prepared productively, as evidenced by faster RTs on the second task, with only a small cost to the present task. The probability of preparation and its productiveness decreased with general increases in present task difficulty. In contrast to our prediction, we found some but no consistent support for influence of concurrent working memory load on preparation. Only for concurrent high working memory load (i.e., two items in memory), we observed strong interference with preparation. We conclude that preparation is affected by present task difficulty, potentially due to decreased opportunities for preparation and changes in multitasking strategy. Furthermore, the interference from holding two items may reflect that concurrent preparation is compromised when working memory integration is required by both processes.

Temporal Focus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbie J. Shipp
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Psychology Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
The Future ◽  
Behavior Based ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Temporal Focus

Temporal focus is the individual tendency to characteristically think more or less about the past, present, and future. Although originally rooted in early work from psychology, research on temporal focus has been steadily growing in a number of research areas, particularly since Zimbardo and Boyd’s (1999) influential article on the topic. This chapter will review temporal focus research from the past to the present, including how temporal focus has been conceptualized and measured, and which correlates and outcomes have been tested in terms of well-being and behavior. Based on this review, an agenda for research is created to direct temporal focus research in the future.

Human, AI, Robot Teaming and the Future of Work: Barriers and Opportunities for Advancement

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-66
Author(s):  
Erin K. Chiou ◽  
Eric Holder ◽  
Igor Dolgov ◽  
Kaleb McDowell ◽  
Lance Menthe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Value ◽  
Panel Discussion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Of Work ◽  
Global Workforce ◽  
Big Ideas ◽  
The Future ◽  
Barriers And Opportunities ◽  
Business As Usual ◽  
And Robotics

Global investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are on the rise, with the results to impact global economies, security, safety, and human well-being. The most heralded advances in this space are more often about the technologies that are capable of disrupting business-as-usual than they are about innovation that advances or supports a global workforce. The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier is one of NSF’s 10 Big Ideas for research advancement. This panel discussion focuses on the barriers and opportunities for a future of human and AI/robot teaming, with people at the center of complex systems that provide social, ethical, and economic value.

scholarly journals Determining the psychometric properties of a novel questionnaire to measure “preparedness for the future” (Prep FQ)

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daren K. Heyland ◽  
J. Paige Pope ◽  
Xuran Jiang ◽  
Andrew G. Day
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Construct Validity ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Well Being ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Future ◽  
Quality Of Death ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Abstract Background People are living longer than ever before. However, with living longer comes increased problems that negatively impact on quality of life and the quality of death. Tools are needed to help individuals assess whether they are practicing the best attitudes and behaviors that are associated with a future long life, high quality of life, high quality of death and a satisfying post-death legacy. The purpose of paper is to describe the process we used to develop a novel questionnaire (“Preparedness for the Future Questionnaire™ or Prep FQ”) and to define its psychometric properties. Methods Using a multi-step development procedure, items were generated, for the new questionnaire after which the psychometric properties were tested with a heterogeneous sample of 502 Canadians. Using an online polling panel, respondents were asked to complete demographic questions as well as the Prep-FQ, Global Rating of Life Satisfaction, the Keyes Psychological Well-Being scale and the Short-Form 12. Results The final version of the questionnaire contains 34 items in 8 distinct domains (“Medico-legal”, “Social”, “Psychological Well-being”, “Planning”, “Enrichment”, “Positive Health Behaviors”, “Negative Health Behaviors”, and “Late-life Planning”). We observed minimum missing data and good usage of all response options. The average overall Prep FQ score is 51.2 (SD = 13.3). The Cronbach alphas assessing internal reliability for the Prep FQ domains ranged from 0.33 to 0.88. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) used to assess the test–retest reliability had an overall score of 0.87. For the purposes of establishing construct validity, all the pre-specified relationships between Prep FQ and the other questionnaires were met. Conclusion Analyses of this novel measure offered support for its face validity, construct validity, test–retest reliability, and internal consistency. With the development of this useful and valid scale, future research can utilize this measure to engage people in the process of comprehensively assessing and improving their state of preparedness for the future, tracking their progress along the way. Ultimately, this program of research aims to improve the quality and quantity of peoples live by helping them ‘think ahead’ and ‘plan ahead’ on the aspects of their daily life that matter to their future.

Confidence in the future as an economic development factor

2021 ◽  
pp. 54-62
Author(s):  
V. E. Dementyev ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Capacity Utilization ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Development Factor ◽  
Urgent Task ◽  
The Future ◽  
Business Confidence ◽  
Existing Structure ◽  
Economic Well Being

The level of confidence in the future is considered as one of the important characteristics of the quality of life. Social and economic well-being depends on what expectations prevail in a society. It is shown that the reduction of interest rates on loans is not a sufficient condition for overcoming investment pessimism. It is indicated that with low capacity utilization, cheap loans can lead to stagnation of industries, contributing to the preservation of the existing structure of used capacities. The quality of coordination of economic activity is considered as one of the factors of business confidence in the future. It is noted that the competitiveness of existing industries has a great impact on the formation of new industries in the economy. It is emphasized that the transition to the system of interactive strategic planning remains an urgent task for our country.

scholarly journals Servant leadership, team-based learning and hope and optimism: A sectoral comparative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Grobler ◽  
Aden-Paul Flotman
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Future Orientation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Team Based Learning ◽  
The Future ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: This is an era of unprecedented turbulence. The current coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) global pandemic testifies to this turmoil as, daily, the unknown dynamically unfolds. It is important during challenging times like these that leadership and organisational response enhance a shared positive vision for the future of humanity. This study aimed at determining the role played by servant leadership (SL) in promoting employee well-being, specifically, a positive future expectation in terms of hope and optimism (HO), as well as the impact that team-based learning (TBL) has on this relationship, and whether this is the same for both the private and public sectors.Design/methodology/approach: This study employed an empirical paradigm, using a cross-sectional design and quantitative analysis. The total sample consisted of 1560 participants, with 780 employed in the private and public sector, respectively.Findings/results: The results suggest that both SL and TBL have a significant impact on employees’ HO, with TBL being a mediating variable and with stronger relationships reported for the private sector. Technically, the TBL instrument employed was validated for South African use and the study included a statistical assessment of common method bias, which was found not to skew the results.Practical implications: This study provides further empirical evidence that SL is positively associated with HO. Secondly, the future-mindedness and future-orientation of HO could stimulate adaptive responses during this time of uncertainty and turmoil. Thus, HO, as potential resilience factors, could generate resilience by harnessing opportunities and setbacks both during the Covid-19 pandemic and in its aftermath.Originality/value: The practical value of this article is in the empirical evidence that both the leaders and the organisation have an impact on the employees’ wellness and positive work attitudes.

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