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The optimistic brain

Nature Neuroscience volume 10, pages 1345–1347 (2007)Cite this article

Faced with the metaphorical glass, most people see it as being half full. A new study shows that activity in two limbic areas, the rostral anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala, reflects an optimistic attitude.

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Figure 1: Sharot et al.5 found two regions involved in optimism: the rACC, a strip of cortex surrounding the corpus callosum, and the amygdala, an almond-shaped structure located in the inner part of the temporal lobe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    Daniel L Schacter & Donna Rose Addis

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  1. Daniel L Schacter
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  2. Donna Rose Addis
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Schacter, D., Addis, D. The optimistic brain. Nat Neurosci 10, 1345–1347 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1107-1345

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