Why Optimism Wins

What does Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition have in common with the chicken that crossed the road? Or James Baldwin’s campaign for civil rights with the development of AI? Or even Crossrail with George Bush’s ‘mission accomplished’?

Optimism, irrational though it might seem, is central to the human psyche: it appears to provide us with an advantage both in everyday life and in the evolutionary race.

In his book The Bright Side, Sumit Paul-Choudhury makes a vital and transformative argument: that optimism is not only the natural state of humanity but an essential one. Without optimism, we would never have survived the unpredictable – and often hostile – world we evolved into. Yet optimism is not reserved for moments of extremity. Its benefits manifest throughout our everyday lives: in our relationships, careers, bodies, and minds. It will also play a critical role in overcoming the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Sumit is an astrophysicist-turned-journalist, former editor-in-chief of New Scientist magazine, and has served as a judge for the Baillie Gifford Prize (formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize), the Wellcome Prize, and the Costa Book Awards.