Episode 17: Is Optimism Logical?

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In this episode, April outs herself as an optimist and spends a little over 12 minutes justifying her attitude.

Episode 17 Show Notes:
The American Psychological Association definiton of optimism: https://dictionary.apa.org/optimism

Oxford Language Dictionary definition of optimism: https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/optimism

Psychology Today's article on optimism: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/optimism

Professor Brian Martin's blog post about the value of optimism: https://documents.uow.edu.au/~bmartin/pubs/comments/0701optimism.html

A good description of the optimism bias: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-optimism-bias-2795031

Oingo Boingo's 1983 hit that epitomizes the optimism bias: https://youtu.be/qpjHW4mr6qo

A rather long but interesting academic read about the optimism bias: https://taylorlab.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/11/2002_When-Predictions-Fail.pdf

Some good information about the optimism bias in the Covid1-9 pandemic:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.26001
https://www.pcma.org/optimism-bias-downside-positive-thinking-during-covid-19/

Books by Suzanne Segerstrom: https://www.amazon.com/Suzanne-C.-Segerstrom/e/B001JP4MKY%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Shawn Anchor and "irrational optimism:" https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-happiness-advantage/201103/are-you-irrational-optimist

A transcript of Matt Ridley discussing his book at the 7th Annual Hayek Lecture at New York's Manhattan Institute: https://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/rational-optimist-how-prosperity-evolves-8316.html

More good Matt Ridley stuff: https://reason.com/2020/05/03/what-its-like-to-be-a-rational-optimist-in-a-pandemic/

Stephanie Caine's beautiful blog post about logical optimism: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/logical-optimism-stephanie-caines/?articleId=6649370011909660675

I didn't mention this in the podcast but it's a good read: https://medium.com/swlh/the-rational-case-for-optimism-6bc9a4dcbbc2

More potential evidence that being an optimist is good for business: https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-financial-upside-of-being-an-optimist