Optimists' Brains Really Do Think Alike

If you tend to see the glass as half full, your brain may have more in common with other optimists than you think. A new study from researchers at Japan's Kobe University suggests that people with positive outlooks actually share similar patterns of brain activity when imagining the future, reports the Guardian. Using MRI scans, the team behind the research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal studied 87 volunteers as they considered a range of possible future events, from globe-trotting adventures to job loss. The scans homed in on the medial prefrontal cortex, a region linked to thinking about what lies ahead.

Lead researcher Kuniaki Yanagisawa explains that optimists seem to organize their thoughts about the future using a shared neural template, though that doesn't mean they're all envisioning the exact same things. The findings may help explain why optimists often thrive socially—if their brains "are literally on the same wavelength" with other optimists, as Yanagisawa puts it, it could foster easier, more intuitive connections with others. The study found that while pessimists showed more varied brain patterns—possibly reflecting a broader array of worries—optimists' neural activity was more alike, especially when distinguishing positive from negative scenarios, which could perhaps help with resilience.

Philosopher Lisa Bortolotti, who wasn't involved in the research, tells the Guardian that optimism isn't necessarily about ignoring reality; rather, optimists may simply be less impacted by negative scenarios. Ultimately, she notes, picturing a positive future can motivate people to pursue their goals, making sunny outcomes a bit more likely. Yanagisawa's ultimate goal is to plumb the depths of loneliness, and he hopes this data can help shed light on that. "I believe that elucidating the process by which this shared reality emerges is a step towards a society where people can communicate better," he says in a release.