Everything has a downside—even optimism. In a new study published in Psychological Science, researchers asked hundreds of football fans to predict the outcome of each game of the 2008 NFL season a week before it was played. They found that fans always predicted an above-average probability of success for their favorite teams, no matter how poorly the teams had performed in previous games. Some of the most important decisions we make—such as whom we will marry—rely on our ability to predict the future, one of the researchers explained. Accounting for the negative effects of optimism might not make these predictions any brighter, but with any luck it will make them better.

This article was originally published with the title The Downside of Hope.

2 Comments

1. 1. scientific earthling 11:40 PM 6/10/11

   Optimistic belief that science can solve all our problems keeps us from responding to the most devastating problem on this planet. Human overpopulation.
   
   The guppies experiments of Dr John Endler suggests that species will lower fertility under overpopulation pressure. But for humans charities and religious organisations offset this response, increasing populations further.

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2. 2. Raghuvanshi1 11:33 PM 6/15/11

   Man is by nature optimist. our survival instinct is so strong last moment of our death we wish that some miracle will happen and we will survive.Recently memories published by one of assistant of Hitler.He was present with Hitler in last moment of of his suicide. In last moment Hitler was hoping that so and so well equipped armies will rescued him when Russian armies came near door of wall than only he killed himself.

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