![]() This can be a positive thing in some situations, but in others, it often leads people to do harmful things. People with a strong optimism bias may be more willing to take chances. For one thing, if you always believe the best is likely to happen and the worst is unlikely, you may behave recklessly and without regard for your safety of others’ well-being. ![]() Having an optimism bias isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can cause problems for you. What Are The Risks Of Having An Optimism Bias? The right inferior frontal gyrus reduces its coding of such negative information, which means that the person doesn’t process the message that a negative event is likely. This failure to code negative information happens in the frontal lobe region of the brain (behind the forehead). People with depression commonly tend to manifest negativity bias. Thus, they may tend to think pessimistically. Since depression usually comes with a decrease in dopamine function, it makes sense that people experiencing depression wouldn't have this advantage in increasing their optimism bias. The dopamine seemed to increase their optimism bias by affecting their ability to update what they'd learned. This was true even after they got the statistics showing they were more likely than they'd predicted to experience those negative events. Those who were administered L-Dopa tended to retain their optimism. Finally, they were asked to estimate their probability of experiencing the negative events. Afterward, they were given statistics on how likely these events are. People were given a list of negative events and asked to rate how likely they were to happen to them. In one study, researchers tried administering dopamine in the form of L-Dopa to see if it affected participants’ level of optimism bias. Optimism bias is potentially linked to dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for boosting our moods. ![]() What Does Optimism Bias Look Like In The Brain?
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