Harvard Thinking The case for optimism
Nov 6, 2024
Jane Nelson, a global governance leader who builds public-private coalitions for development; Tal Ben-Shahar, a positive psychologist who teaches practical happiness tools; and Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist who tracks long-term progress. They discuss evidence-based optimism, why progress can feel worse than it is, media and cognitive biases that skew perception, and practical practices like gratitude and coalition-building to sustain hopeful action.
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Why The World Feels Like A Dumpster Fire
- Psychological biases and media negativity make the present feel worse than it is.
- Steven Pinker explains news magnifies bad events and obscures slow-building positive trends.
Use Gratitude To Recalibrate Perspective
- Keep a daily gratitude journal to counteract negativity and make the good 'appreciate.'
- Use group or organizational gratitude practices to highlight progress and reduce bias.
Pessimism’s Dangerous Consequences
- Pessimism can lead to fatalism or radicalism that undermines progress.
- Steven Pinker argues realistic optimism motivates continuous improvement rather than dismantling systems.