Latest news with #pessimism
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Optimists Are Alike, but Pessimists Are Unique, Brain Scan Study Suggests
Optimists have similar patterns of brain activation when they think about the future—but pessimists are all different from one another, a brain scan study suggests 'All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' This is the first line of Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina, and it may hold a kernel of truth that goes beyond family dynamics. In a recent study of optimism, neuroscientists found an equivalent principle at play: optimists shared similar patterns of activity in a key brain region when they imagined future events, but each pessimist's brain patterns was unique. The results help neuroscientists understand what distinguishes optimism from pessimism in the brain. This is an important question because optimism is associated with better physical, mental and social health. The results were published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 'We tend to think of imagining the future as a deeply personal, subjective act,' says Kuniaki Yanagisawa, the study's lead author and a psychologist at Kobe University in Japan. 'Our study, however, shows that—especially for optimists—the way our brains do this can be similar' and suggests that such shared cognitive frameworks for imagining the future might explain why we 'click' with some people, he says. Prior studies have shown that optimists have larger social networks and higher acceptance by their peers. Yanagisawa wanted to understand 'whether this social success is just about personality,' he says, 'or if optimists might share a fundamental brain mechanism that makes it easier for them to form social connections.' [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] The researchers scanned participants in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine while they imagined specific future events happening to either them or their spouse. Some of the events were positive; others were neutral or negative. Afterward the team had the participants take a questionnaire to determine their level of optimism or pessimism. The researchers conducted the study twice, once in a group of 37 participants and again in a group of 50. To analyze the brain scans, the researchers zoomed in on one region that's particularly active while imagining future events: the medial prefrontal cortex, located in the middle of the very front of the brain. They compared patterns of brain activation in each possible pair of participants and used statistical tests to determine how similar the activations were to each other in these pairs. The team found that only pairs consisting of two optimistic participants had similar brain activation; pairs where one or both participants were more pessimistic were dissimilar to each other. The researchers also found that optimistic people showed bigger differences between brain patterns for emotionally positive and negative events than pessimists did. A few prior studies of 'positive' social traits have shown similar results. A 2022 brain scan study showed that people who held a central position in their social network have similar activation patterns to one another—but that less central people had a lot of individual differences, or idiosyncrasies. The same pattern held true in another study of people with low versus high levels of loneliness. Elisa Baek, a social neuroscientist now at the University of Southern California and lead author of those two studies, refers to these results as examples of the 'Anna Karenina principle,' the idea that successful endeavors have similar characteristics but that unsuccessful ones are each different in their own way. 'One intriguing interpretation [of the optimism study], consistent with the Anna Karenina principle, is that there may be many different ways for a person to be pessimistic, while optimistic people tend to converge on a few shared mental models of a hopeful future,' Baek says. Together, these studies 'may point to a more general principle—that being 'on the same page' as others is a foundational mechanism that underlies the experience of social connection.' If there is an Anna Karenina principle at work for positive social traits, what would be causing it? After all, the traits we deem 'positive' vary greatly among different societies, so there's a risk of cultural bias. Yanagisawa thinks that these cultural values could actually be driving the effect—they orient people toward a specific goal that is valued in a society, such as being optimistic or having a lot of social connections, perhaps leading those individuals to behave and think similarly over time. It's also possible that optimism, as measured in this study, is picking up on related traits such as people's level of loneliness or position in a social network. 'These convergent findings raise an important question about the overlap between constructs such as optimism, loneliness and network centrality,' Baek says. 'Because the new study didn't control for loneliness or social network position, and my prior work didn't control for optimism, it is unclear how much these dimensions are overlapping or distinct.' Optimism and pessimism aren't unchanging traits; they tend to shift with age, although the trajectories vary from culture to culture. Nor is optimism an unquestioned good. 'Extreme optimism might not always be a good thing because we might not plan for the future as well as we should,' says Aleea Devitt, a psychologist at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, who studies future thinking. And 'pessimism may be a useful 'positive' trait in some situations; there's evidence that some people can be defensive pessimists, which can actually help them better prepare for the future.' Solve the daily Crossword
Times
12-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Small business sentiment at record low, poll reveals
More small businesses expect to downsize or shut up shop than grow over the next 12 months, according to a survey by one of the UK's most influential trade bodies. Of those surveyed, 27 per cent of owners expect their businesses to either close, shrink or be sold in the coming year, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Only 25 per cent believed their businesses would expand. The sentiment is the worst since the closely watched annual survey began in 2008. After suffering from tax rises since Labour swept to power, Tina McKenzie, the FSB policy chair, said small businesses were 'facing a very dangerous situation'. 'Confidence being so low, and not showing any improvement since the start of the year, is bad enough. Stagnation and pessimism among small businesses spells huge risk for the overall economy,' she said. For years political leaders have lauded small business as the 'backbone of the economy'. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has insisted that the government is doing all it can to shield small firms from the fallout caused by her commitment to balance public finances. She said in December: 'I know it's tough and there are a lot of costs but we are trying to help.' The FSB polling comes days after it emerged that the UK economy had unexpectedly contracted. Reeves admitted she was 'disappointed' by a 0.1 per cent contraction in May, announced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Friday. Small business owners said the state of the domestic economy was their biggest worry, followed by the tax burden and rising labour costs. The results come just a week after it emerged that the hospitality industry had suffered the worst job losses since the Covid-19 pandemic, with 69,000 roles cut since October. There were warnings that 200,000 further jobs would be lost if Reeves's increase to the minimum wage and national insurance contributions are not reversed. McKenzie said: 'The government has made all the right noises about supporting the small business community.' But she added that members' growth was being affected by late payments by larger businesses and the blanket imposition of personal guarantees on loans. On Friday, the FSB issued a super-complaint to the Financial Conduct Authority to highlight the 'harsh lending practices' of banks that demand personal guarantees for business loans. It said personal guarantees could be a 'straitjacket' on business growth, forcing entrepreneurs to put their homes or other assets on the line when taking out finance — even for small loans. Many business owners are now more likely to abandon their business or growth plans or be pushed into being over-cautious, the FSB said. A second survey last week found that more than half the leaders of small and medium-sized companies in the UK believe the economic climate is more volatile than during the pandemic. The poll — by Dext, which makes bookkeeping automation tools — showed that more than a quarter of businesses had cut staff or frozen hiring and that early half had faced cashflow issues or turned to emergency funding. More than half have also said planning was 'virtually impossible' in the current climate. Among those forced to make redundancies is Tom Haward, who runs Richard Haward's Oysters, an eighth-generation family business. He let go one staff member and cut the hours of the remaining 18 employees. He said it was one of the hardest decisions he has had to make since succeeding his father, but had no choice because customer spend has declined 10 per cent in the past 12 months. 'It's so hard but I can't put prices up because then people spend even less so I have no choice but to cut costs where I can,' said Haward, 43. Likewise, Dana Denis-Smith, the founder of Obelisk Support, which offers part-time lawyers to companies including Barclays Bank and BT, chose not to offer permanent contracts to the three staff whose 12-month contracts ended earlier this year. She said she knows a 'huge' number of people who have recently chosen to shut down their businesses due to the volatile economic climate. 'They'll say, 'I'm so stressed – what's the point?' The increased taxation burdens adds to a sense that entrepreneurs aren't welcome, said Denis-Smith, 49. 'There's no drive or energy in the economy.' Mandira Sarkar, the founder of Mandira's Kitchen, a caterer and maker of upmarket Indian ready meals, is among those carefully considering her options. She is fearful of the impact of further potential tax rises in the autumn budget. 'For an economy to thrive, you've got to create conditions for businesses to function, not to stifle them. It's an absolute bloodbath out there and my family are looking at me saying, 'Why are you doing this? Let's just shut it.' Sarkar, 54, admits that, for the first time, it's tempting to close the business and try something new. 'It can't carry on like this,' she said. A spokesman for the business department said: 'The last few years have been incredibly difficult for business. That's why this pro-business government is determined to improve the total business environment including for small businesses.' Of the challenges faced by small companies seeking access to the capital needed to help them grow, he said the government is 'focused on working with banks to create opportunities for businesses to access the finance they need to scale, export and break into new markets.'
Wall Street Journal
08-07-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Small-Business Sentiment Darkens Slightly
Businesses on Main Street became a little more pessimistic last month as heightened uncertainty continued to weigh. The National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday that its optimism index, a gauge of sentiment among small firms, edged down 0.2 points to 98.6 in June, slightly above its long-term reading of 98. A consensus of economists polled by The Wall Street Journal expected 98.7.
Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Gloom grows in UK boardrooms as bosses lament 'hostile' economy
Pessimism is deepening in boardrooms across the UK as bosses prepare for economic conditions at home and globally to worsen, a new report suggests. Around 70 per cent of boardroom leaders expect worldwide economic conditions to worsen in the year ahead, while just 5.4 per cent believe they will improve, according to a survey by The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland. By contrast, only 22.2 per cent in 2024 anticipated a deterioration in global economic conditions, and exactly double that percentage forecast them getting better. Nearly two-thirds of respondents also think the UK's economic circumstances will weaken further, compared to just a quarter asked the same question last year. CGI said executives are concerned UK competitiveness would not improve in the months ahead, due to factors like US trade tariffs and UK Government policy. President Donald Trump has slapped a 10 per cent baseline tariff on most US imports, as well as a 25 per cent import tax on car parts and a 50 per cent levy on foreign steel and aluminium. The tariffs have heightened anxieties about economic growth slowing, both in the UK and internationally, and inflationary pressures for consumers and businesses magnifying. Meanwhile, the proportion of boardroom leaders who said their firms plan on cutting capital expenditure over the next year rose to over a quarter, while none are forecasting a 'considerable' increase. 'The results remind us that boardroom decision-making has rarely been more challenging,' said the report. 'Organisations of every type are operating in a fluid, and often, hostile environment that (this year particularly) offers few certainties and elevated risk,' it added. The biggest concern for most boards is cybersecurity, with 71 per cent of governance professionals predicting cyber risks will grow this year. However, a smaller proportion of boards - 66 per cent - intend to raise spending on IT security, against 80 per cent in 2024/25. Among significant worry is regulation; most quoted governance professionals believe rules are 'slightly excessive'. Peter Swabey, policy and research director at CGI UK & Ireland, said: 'Governance professionals, always in tune with board sentiments, reveal a boardroom mood of caution and recalibration. 'While AI and cyber resilience are climbing the agenda, confidence in the UK's economic outlook and regulatory environment remains fragile. 'The Government's industrial strategy will need to address these concerns if it is to unlock long-term investment.' Having originally set to be announced this spring, Britain's industrial strategy is now set to be published in the last week of June. Defence, digital infrastructure, clean energy and advanced manufacturing comprised the top four priorities for the industrial strategy among the CGI survey's interviewees. The strategy is also set to include details on the creative, financial services, life sciences, and professional and business services sectors. CGI's survey was based on the full responses of 96 participants from organisations either based in or operating in the UK. Governance professionals in private businesses and members of quoted firms each comprised 35 per cent of the responses. The remaining 30 per cent were from representatives of the public sector, charities and other ownership structures.
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Sense of hope is key for heart patients, study finds
Heart patients who are pessimistic about their condition have an increased risk of dying or suffering a heart attack, according to academics who studied people undergoing treatment at an acute research was commissioned by the British Heart Foundation and presented to the British Cardiovascular Society."Our systematic review suggests that hopelessness could increase people's risk of death," said Dr Alexander Montasem, a senior lecturer in researchers, from the University of Liverpool and Lancashire Cardiac Centre, noted that one previous study of men with a pre-existing cardiovascular condition hopelessness was linked to a six-fold higher risk of death. The researchers reviewed data from 12 studies involving 5,540 patients diagnosed with various different cardiovascular diseases. Having less hope was associated with an increased risk of a first heart attack in people with no previous history of angina, even taking into account other risk factors like age, perceived health status, depression and socioeconomic risk factors. 'Benefits of support' The review showed that more hope was linked to reduced cardiovascular symptoms like angina and post-stroke Montasem said: "For many people, living with cardiovascular disease can be a difficult experience. Patients often struggle with debilitating symptoms as well as anxiety about the future."Mental health support could be very beneficial for a wide range of people with heart problems."One study found that higher levels of hope protected women against experiencing angina – pain or discomfort in the chest often caused by coronary heart disease. In a study of stroke patients of both sexes, greater hope was strongly linked to reduced levels of post-stroke studies included psychological data, which showed that more hope was linked to lower levels of depression and anxiety, and improved resilience and quality of data also indicated possible reasons for the reduced risk seen in people with more hope were that they also showed greater levels of self-care and were less likely to "skip" report's authors now want to understand whether it is possible to boost patients' hope, for example by introducing specialist therapy, or chaplaincy support while in hospital, which could help improve health and lower death rates in this at-risk group. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
