In this video Tali Sharot discusses how, for better or worse, optimism can bias our views of the world, particularly when it comes to assessing our own likelihood of experiencing negative events. She also mentions how it influences our self-assessment (the Lake Wobegon Effect), our cognitive interpretation of events, and our anticipation for the future. Sharot then discusses her research on brain regions involved in how we incorporate new information into our predictions for the future, focusing on the role of the left or right inferior frontal gyrus. She also discusses the possibility of temporarily knocking out our optimism bias through the use of transcranial direct current magnetic stimulation. This raises the interesting question of considering when we should restrain our tendency towards optimism and when we might want to leave our optimist unchecked.
Tali Sharot on Optimism Bias
