The Science of Optimism

Dr Tali Sharot, a neuroscientist working at University College London, gives a tour of the irrationally positive brain – subjects include how the brain generates hope and what happens when it fails, how the brains of optimists and pessimists differ, why we are terrible at predicting what will make us happy, how emotions strengthen our ability to recollect, how anticipation and dread affect us and how our optimistic illusions affect our financial, professional, and emotional decisions.