Are you a glass-half-full kind of person? Someone who views the world through rose-tinted glasses? Do you believe there is light at the end of the tunnel and that every cloud has a silver lining?

Everyday language is full of references to the psychological phenomenon of optimism. It describes a hopeful outlook on life and a general belief that good things are going to happen. Indeed, many people are affected by a so-called optimism bias. This bias describes a tendency to view positive life events as more likely than what could be expected based on statistics and rational thinking. For example, I’m currently trying to manage my daughter’s optimistic belief that her birthday (and the associated gifts, cake, and party) is going to come around every couple of weeks rather than just once a year.

Like all other biases, optimism bias can affect people’s judgments and subsequent choices. A positive belief in your chances of an office romance may tempt you into openly flirting with a colleague. An optimistic expectation about the trickiness of foreign languages may lead you to enroll in Russian classes. And a hopeful wish for yet another birthday may inspire you (or rather my dreamer of a 3-year-old) to........

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