Blended Learning Journey

What’s one sure way to know if you’re an optimist? You set the alarm at night and trust you will get up when it goes off. That simple act, trusting that tomorrow will come and you’ll rise to meet it, captures the essence of optimism. It’s more than wishful thinking. It’s an orientation toward the future, a belief that effort will matter and that the day ahead is worth stepping into.

In the last post, we explored two powerful studies: Seligman’s research on learned helplessness and Richter’s lesser-known experiment on endurance. While each study offers meaningful insight, they tell a deeper story together. Repeated failure can teach us to stop trying, but a spark of hope can shift our perspective and give us the strength to keep going. These findings challenge us to consider how belief, control, and support shape human behavior and how, as educators, we can help students reclaim their sense of agency.

In this post, we’ll explore optimism. What it is, why it matters, and how we can begin cultivating it in our students, classrooms, and ourselves.

Learned helplessness often grows into something deeper: pessimism. When people believe their efforts don’t matter, they stop expecting good outcomes altogether. But what if the reverse is also true? If helplessness can be taught, can optimism, too?

Psychologists have spent decades exploring that very question, and what they’ve found is fascinating. Optimism can be understood in two ways: as a belief that one’s goals can be accomplished or as the lens we use to explain outcomes or envision how we’ll get there. In other words, we can look at it as a disposition, a general expectation for the future, or as an explanatory style, the way we interpret events in our lives.  Both definitions reveal something powerful. 

How we think about our circumstances can directly shape how we experience them.

At its simplest, optimism can be defined as celebrating the present and the past while still anticipating a bright future. It’s what gives us hope. Lyubomirsky (2007) further distinguishes between “little” and “big” optimism. Little optimism appears in specific situations, directing us toward constructive, healthy behaviors like completing a project or preparing for an exam. Big optimism, on the other hand, is more global. It’s the deep belief that life will work out for the better overall and fuels resilience, energy, and the capacity to endure through larger challenges.

Hope is closely tied to optimism. Psychologist C.R. Snyder described hope as having two components: pathways, our ability to find routes to reach a goal, and agency, the motivation to follow those routes. In this sense, hope is the optimistic belief that desired goals can, in fact, be attained. When individuals have a vision of where they want to go and the confidence to pursue it, hope and optimism work hand in hand to drive persistence.

More recent research adds yet another important layer: the idea of realistic optimism. Unlike toxic positivity, which tries to gloss over or ignore hardship, realistic optimism faces difficulties head-on while still believing that something good can emerge. In fact, realistic optimists are often more willing than pessimists to receive negative feedback, absorb bad news, and even raise uncomfortable questions in personal relationships. Their hope does not distort reality; instead, it provides a framework for engaging with challenges honestly while believing in the possibility of growth and hope for the future. 

Optimism Matters

Research consistently shows that optimism and hope are far more than feel-good ideas; they have measurable benefits. More optimistic people tend to be happier, report greater life satisfaction, engage in more effective coping behaviors, enjoy better physical health, experience stronger relationships, and demonstrate greater self-confidence and perseverance (Compton, 2020).. Optimism doesn’t just change how people feel; it changes how they live.

If you are optimistic about the future, you are more likely to invest effort in achieving your goals. Optimism enhances happiness and encourages us to use effective coping strategies rather than avoidance. It promotes positive moods, vitality, and high morale. In this way, optimism fuels persistence and resilience, giving people the energy to keep moving even when challenges arise.

The good news is that optimism isn’t just something you have or don’t have. It’s a skill you can actively strengthen.

Cultivating Optimism

Like a muscle, optimistic thinking becomes more natural the more we use it. One simple starting point is to notice where we are right now. Tools like the Psychology Today Optimism Test can provide a snapshot of how you tend to view the future, giving you a baseline for growth.

From there, intentional interventions can help cultivate optimism. One of the most researched strategies is the “Best Possible Selves” exercise. In a study led by Dr. Laura King, participants spent four days writing for 20 minutes each day about their “best possible future selves” across multiple domains of life. The results were striking: participants reported greater happiness, more positive moods, and even improvements in health (Compton, 2020, p. 103).

Students can also try this activity themselves! Check out this Greater Good Science Center activity: Best Possible Self Exercise. This guided practice walks students step-by-step through envisioning their best possible future, helping them not only imagine a hopeful tomorrow but also build the optimism and agency to work toward it. Taking time to imagine and write about the future we most want doesn’t just spark hope in the moment. It trains the mind to orient toward possibility rather than defeat. 

Looking Ahead

Of course, optimism is also shaped by the way we explain the things that happen in our lives, what psychologists call our explanatory style. In the final post of this series, we’ll dig into those stories we tell ourselves about setbacks and successes. Do we see challenges as temporary bumps in the road, or as proof that we should give up? Those inner narratives can either fuel our persistence or drain it away. Together, we’ll look at how shifting the way we explain our experiences can help us, and our students, reframe challenges, reclaim a sense of control, and keep hope alive.

Thank you for joining me on my learning journey! I’d love to hear from you. Please leave comments and questions below.

Be Well,

Cori

References

Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The how of happiness: A scientific approach to getting the life you want. New York, NY: Penguin Press.Compton, W. C., & Hoffman, E. (2020).

Positive psychology: The science of happiness and flourishing (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.