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Published online 24 October 2007 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2007.191
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Optimism brain regions identified
Researchers home in on brain areas that light up for a bright future.
Neuroscientists have pinpointed the areas of the brain that help us to look on the bright side.
People have a propensity to be optimistic, expecting to live longer and be healthier than the population average1.
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Perhaps the researchers should look to foreign subjects for neutral or pessimistic outlooks. More British, Irish, Bosnian or Russian subjects might give enlightening input, no?
As once reported about the brain function in an article named "rose-scented sleep improves memory" published on 8th march 2007 in nature, the optimistic and pessimistic feel might be affected by the surrounding environment. One with resources available, may not feel as compared to the one with limited resources.
Interesting... optimism area located behind the eyes... so my next question would be "Does Sinus pressure negatively impact optimism?" It would be interesting to identify a set of optimistic people, and in some, influence sinus pressure to see if they continued to be as positive as the "control" group. Maybe have a third group that is given a discomfort elsewhere in the body. I have not seen an optimistic person with sinus problems.