HOPE:

Last term, I featured a series on the importance of Hope, and how to teach, develop and strengthen it.

Here is a summative article on that topic.

The New and Hopeful Science of Hope:

Viewed as a strong emotion, hope cultivates meaning, which in turn leads to happiness, according to new research. Here’s how to find some even when things seem hopeless.

Philosophers, psychologists, and other deep thinkers have been pondering and debating the nature of hope for millennia, and they still can’t seem to agree on what it is, how it affects the human condition, and whether it’s even good or bad. Check out these takes on it:

“Hope is the pillar that holds up the world.”— Pliny the Elder ( _–79 AD)

“Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844–1900)

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul — and sings the tunes without the words — and never stops at all.”— Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)

Modern psychologists tend to describe hope in far less inspired terms, characterising it as a cognitive process we employ to achieve goals.

There’s some logic to that, and we’ll circle back to why it’s important. But honestly, I would hope the science of a glorious thing like hope could sound more inspiring, especially in these trying times when, for many people, hope might seem all that’s left.

A new analysis in the journal Emotion offers just such a compelling perspective: Hope is a strong positive emotion that deserves more respect for having great potential to cultivate a healthy and happy life, the researchers argue.

“Our research shifts the perspective on hope from merely a cognitive process related to goal attainment to recognizing it as a vital emotional experience that enriches life’s meaning,” said the study’s lead author, Megan Edwards, who earned a PhD at the University of Missouri, where the study was done, and is now a postdoctoral researcher at Duke University.

Sounds like Pliny the Elder was on to something.

Hope Is Better Than Other Emotions.

Edwards and colleagues analysed the emotions of 2,300 people involved in six different studies and discovered that hope was the only consistent predictor of a strong sense of personal meaning, surpassing other emotions like amusement, contentment, excitement, and happiness. This is a big deal, because when we feel we have meaning in our lives — often described as having purpose — we’re in turn more likely to be happy, have more successful relationships, and be healthier, said study team member Laura King, a psychology professor at the University of Missouri.

“Experiencing life as meaningful is crucial for just about every good thing you can imagine in a person’s life,” King said in a statement. And the really good news: Meaning is findable, she says, “and hope is one of the things that make life feel meaningful.”

Once you find it, hope is indeed a powerful emotion.

The Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Hope.

The scientific literature is loaded with examples of how hopeful people are more likely to eat well, exercise, battle a disease, and even survive cancer.

Research has shown hope to be crucial for emerging from challenging mental health conditions, too. One study involved a clinical trial of 223 adults who were using cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

“Hope was a common element and a strong predictor of recovery,” said Matthew Gallagher, PhD, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Houston. The more hope a patient had, the more successful their therapy was. “If a therapist is working with a client who isn’t making progress, or is stuck in some way, hope might be an important mechanism to guide the patient forward toward recovery,” Gallagher said.

In another study, published last year in the journal Stress and Health, researchers concluded that hope was more effective than mindfulness in helping people manage stress and maintain happiness during prolonged periods of stress.

“Being mindful can be tremendously valuable — there are certainly advantages to living in the moment,” said Sharon Sheridan, a study co-author and assistant professor of management at Clemson University. “But it’s important to maintain a hopeful outlook, particularly during periods of prolonged stress. People should be hopeful while being mindful, holding on to the idea that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

How To Find Hope And Meaning.

If hope is lacking in your life, King and Edwards offer suggestions for finding some:

Notice and appreciate the smallest positive moments, rather than constantly focusing on the future.
Say yes, and seize even the smallest of opportunities, which fosters a sense of momentum no matter how crazy things are.
Take time to care for and nurture yourself and others, because working to make things better is all about hope.

They also advise taking note of your ongoing progress in whatever pursuits matter to you and appreciating both your growth and your potential.

Seeking and appreciating personal growth is a more actionable version of the age-old but nebulous notion of positive thinking.

As other research has shown, there’s significant value in adopting a growth mindset, also known as an “I can” way of thinking. It’s not about seeking fame or fortune or being №1. Instead, it’s about having a positive attitude about your potential when confronted with challenges, and then putting in the work to overcome them. It’s a “nothing good comes easy” mindset, melded with the determination to “I can get there.”

“Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset,” writes Carol Dweck, PhD, a professor of psychology at Stanford University whose 1970s research birthed the growth-mindset idea. “They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts). This is because they worry less about looking smart and put more energy into learning.”

Ultimately, the new science of hope regards it not only as a cognitive process, but also as an emotion, and a vital one at that.

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear,” said the late Buddhist monk and author Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022). “If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”

You Have To Work At It.

Now, let’s circle back to the clinical definition of hope: a cognitive process we employ to achieve goals. Here’s where the growth mindset comes into play, where the practical and emotional aspects of hope combine to generate progress toward greater well-being. If you’re not a particularly hopeful person, you can grow into it, psychologists say. It won’t just happen, however.

“Hope is not a wish,” explains Chan Hellman, PhD, director of the Hope Research Centre at the University of Oklahoma. “Hope is about taking action to achieve goals. Wish is having a goal that we desire, but we don’t have any control or strategies to achieve it.”

Dan Tomasulo, the Columbia lecturer, recommends setting micro-goals—things you can achieve in 30 minutes or less—to create a sense of accomplishment that offers hope for a better tomorrow. Examples:

Express gratitude to others, reminding them and you of the things for which they are thankful.
Each day, write in a journal about three things you’re grateful for.
Find ways to be kind to others (kindness is infectious, and costs nothing).

I hope that’s all helpful to you. But I know that finding hope when things feel hopeless can seem, well, rather hopeless. So when all hope is lost, when things are at their bleakest, King and Edwards remind us that nothing is permanent. Things are bound to change, they say, “and hope begins with the belief that they will.”