Seeing the impossible: the impact of watching magic on positive emotions, optimism, and wellbeing.

Watching a magic trick is a unique experience in which seemingly impossible events appear possible but without any suspension of disbelief. Unfortunately, relatively little work has examined the psychological impact of this fascinating experience. In the current study, participants first completed a measure of the degree to which they disliked magic (Loathing of Legerdemain Scale: LOLS) and then watched a video that either contained a series of magic tricks (magic video) or carefully matched non-magic tricks (control video). Participants then rated the degree to which they experienced positive epistemic emotions (Epistemically Related Emotion Scale: ERES), their belief about impossible events being possible in the future (Modal Judgment Task: MJT), general optimism (State Optimism Measure: SOM) and subjective wellbeing (Satisfaction With Life Scale: SWLS). Compared to participants who watched the control video, those who saw the magic video reported more positive epistemic emotions on the ERES. There were no significant differences on the MJT, SOM and SWLS. Participants' LOLS scores were negatively correlated with the ERES, SOM and SWLS, suggesting that those who like magic are more likely to experience positive epistemic emotions, have higher levels of general optimism, and express greater satisfaction with their lives. These findings are discussed within the context of short-term and long-term exposure to magic, along with recommendations for future work.

Perceived stress, optimism-pessimism, psychological adjustment, and death distress of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between death distress, psychological adjustment, optimism, pessimism and perceived stress among nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: this study was designed as cross-sectional/cohort. The population of the study involved 408 nurses from Northern Cyprus, which are registered as full members of the Nurse Council. The sample comprised 214 nurses, who volunteered to participate in the study. The study data was collected using a web-based online survey (Demographic form, the Coronavirus Stress Measure, The Optimism and Pessimism Questionnaire, The Brief Adjustment Scale-6, The Death Distress Scale). RESULTS: the results indicated that perceived stress significantly and negatively predicted optimism (ß = -0.21, p < 0.001) and pessimism (ß = 0.38, p < 0.001). Perceived stress had significant and positive predictive effects on psychological adjustment (ß = 0.31, p < 0.001) and death distress (ß = 0.17, p < 0.01). Further analysis results revealed that pessimism mediates the association of stress with psychological adjustment and death distress; however, optimism only mediates the effect of stress on psychological adjustment among nurses. CONCLUSION: a low level of pessimism is effective in strengthening nurses' psychological adjustment skills againt perceived stress and death distress. Nurses should consider behavioral strategies to help reduce the level of pessimism during periods such as pandemics. BACKGROUND: (1) High levels of perceived stress increased higher score of psychological adjustment. (2) Pessimism mediates the association of stress with adjustment and death distress. (3) Optimism only mediates the effect of stress on psychological adjustment among nurses.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EXPECTATIONS WITH CONTROL OF VOLITIONAL EFFORT IN YOUNG AND OLD AGES AS RISK FACTORS OF SOCIAL AGING.

An elderly person is the subject of changes and development of the basic conditions of his life. Older patients may experience manifestations of social aging, in which some new areas of social reality remain unexplored for them. This article analyzes dispositional optimism and locus of control, as two personal characteristics closely related to the social and psychological aspects. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between dispositional optimism and locus of control in young and old people. During the study, 115 elderly respondents from the Gerontological Center were surveyed. The average age was 70 [52-74]. A survey of 120 students of the Krasnoyarsk State Medical University of the first, second, third and fourth years, whose average age was 20 [19-25] was conducted. The majority of elderly patients were classified as having an external locus of control (54%), while 46% had an internal locus of control. Regarding optimism, 20% of older people were optimists, 73% were pessimists, and 7% of respondents had a combination of both optimism and pessimism. The majority of young respondents also fell into the category with an external locus of control (70%), while 30% had an internal locus of control. 73% of young people were optimists, 19% were pessimists, and 8% of respondents had a combination of both optimism and pessimism. In older people, there is an inverse relationship between the indicators - the level of internality is inversely proportional to the level of optimism, which is explained by the expectation that bad events will happen more often in the future than good ones. Accordingly, it is necessary to introduce practical recommendations.

Character Strengths and Emotion Self-Regulation in Brazilian Workers / Fortalezas del carácter y autorregulación emocional en trabajadores brasileños

Las fortalezas del carácter y la autorregulación de las emociones son recursos psicológicos relevantes para ayudar a los trabajadores a hacer frente a las demandas actuales en trabajo. La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo probar la asociación y el poder predictivo de las fortalezas del carácter con respecto a la autorregulación emocional. Un total de 203 participantes con edades entre 18 y 68 años respondieron el cuestionario sociodemográfico, la Escala de Fortaleza del Carácter - Breve (EFC-Breve) y la Escala de Autorregulación Emocional - Adulto (EARE-AD). Los resultados indicaron asociaciones de débiles a fuertes entre los factores CSS-Brief y ESRS-AD. La fortaleza intrapersonal y las fortalezas intelectuales e interpersonales predijeron las estrategias de autorregulación emocional susceptibles de ser adoptadas por los trabajadores. La evidencia recopilada sugirió diferencias significativas en ESRS-AD y CSS-Brief con respecto a las características sociodemográficas de los participantes. Estos resultados se han producido independientemente del nivel jerárquico y del departamento de trabajo de los trabajadores.(AU)

Character strengths and emotion self-regulation are relevant psychological resources to help workers cope with current demands in the workplace. The present investigation aimed to test the association with and the predictive power of the character strengths regarding emotion self-regulation. A total of 203 participants aged 18 to 68 years answered the so-ciodemographic questionnaire, Character Strength Scale –Brief (CSS-Brief), and the Emotion Self-Regulation Scale –Adult (ESRS-AD). The findings indicated weak to strong associations between the CSS-Brief and ESRS-AD factors. The intrapersonal strength and the intellectual and in-terpersonal strengths predicted the emotion self-regulation strategies likely to be adopted by the workers. The gathered evidence suggested significant differences in the ESRS-AD and CSS-Brief regarding the participants’ so-ciodemographic features. These results have occurred regardless of the workers’ hierarchical level and job department.(AU)

On the correlation between gratitude and resilience in medical students.

Objective: Medical students' health and resilience have increasingly been the subject of current research in recent years. A variety of interventions are recommended to strengthen resilience or its known or suspected influencing factors, although the literature shows that the evidence on the effectiveness of the interventions is inconsistent. The present study investigated whether gratitude is a direct protective factor for resilience in medical students or whether resilience factors (optimism, self-efficacy, social support) and stress mediate the effects of gratitude on resilience. Methods: 90 medical students at Witten/Herdecke University took part in the study that determined their gratitude, resilience, optimism, self-efficacy, social support and stress levels using validated questionnaires (GQ-6, RS-25, LOT-R, SWE, F-SozU, PSS). Correlations were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients. In addition, a multivariate regression analysis and a path analysis were calculated to determine the direct and indirect effects of gratitude on resilience. Results: Multivariate regression analysis showed that only optimism, social support and stress were significantly associated with resilience (B=0.48, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.66; B=0.23, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.44 and B=-0.02, 95% CI: -0.03, -0.001, respectively). The direct effect of gratitude on resilience was minimal and not significant in the path analysis. However, there was an indirect effect of gratitude on resilience (B=0.321; p<0.05). Mediation via the optimism variable was mainly responsible for this effect (indirect effect B=0.197; p<0.05). Conclusion: This study shows that gratitude has only a minimal direct influence on resilience. However, results indicate that optimism as a mediating factor strengthens the resilience of medical students. Against this background, it may be useful to integrate interventions that promote an optimistic attitude into medical studies in order to strengthen the mental health of future doctors in the long term.

Analyst optimism, information disclosure, and stock price collapse risk: Empirical insights from China's A-share market.

This study selects stock data of listed companies in China's A-share stock market from 2011 to 2020 as research samples. Using a fixed-effects model, it examines the impact of analyst optimism on stock price collapses and the moderating effect of information disclosure quality. Simultaneously, it conducts additional research to explore the potential transmission mechanisms involved. The main findings are as follows: Firstly, a positive correlation exists between analyst optimism and the risk of stock price collapse. Secondly, improving information disclosure quality of listed companies can enhance the positive impact of analyst optimism on the risk of stock price collapses and expedite the market's adjustment of overly optimistic valuations of listed companies. Additionally, analyst optimism can increase the risk of stock price collapses by affecting institutional ownership. These findings provide theoretical support for regulatory authorities to revise and improve the "information disclosure evaluation" system, regulate the analyst industry, guide analyst behavior, and encourage listed companies to enhance internal governance and improve information disclosure practices.

Distinct associations between gratitude, self-esteem, and optimism with subjective and psychological well-being among Japanese individuals.

BACKGROUND: Mounting evidence suggests that the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions is influenced by a variety of factors, including cultural context. Identifying intervention targets that can effectively contribute to improving individual well-being under these boundary conditions is a crucial step when developing viable interventions. To this end, we examined how gratitude disposition, self-esteem, and optimism relate to the subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB) of Japanese individuals. METHODS: Multivariate regression analysis was employed to quantify the unique relationships between the three potential intervention targets and both SWB and PWB, while accounting for the influence of other variables. Participants (N = 71) also engaged in a 4-week experience sampling study to explore how gratitude, self-esteem and optimism shape the link between momentary affective states in everyday life and evaluations of day satisfaction. RESULTS: Multivariate regression analysis revealed that self-esteem was predominantly more strongly associated with SWB compared to gratitude disposition, whereas gratitude disposition was more strongly associated with the PWB dimensions, particularly personal growth, positive relations with others and purpose in life. Experience sampling data indicated that while both gratitude disposition and self-esteem moderated the association between momentary positive affect and day satisfaction evaluations, they did so in opposite ways; greater gratitude disposition strengthened the association, while greater self-esteem weakened it. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the current results suggest that while gratitude, self-esteem, and optimism influence individual well-being as a whole, they likely play distinct roles in facilitating SWB and PWB in the studied cohort.

Re-evaluating patient communication and care in angiographically negative subarachnoid hemorrhage: Balancing realism and optimism.

Angiographically negative subarachnoid hemorrhage (anSAH) has traditionally been considered a benign condition, mainly because of favorable outcomes in the acute stage in comparison to the often negative acute outcomes of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. However, a growing body of research in recent years shows that anSAH often leads to cognitive impairments, emotional distress, and difficulties in resuming work or other daily life activities. Therefore, in this position paper, we call for a change in neurological care and a shift in patient communication, emphasizing the importance of addressing patient needs and fostering realistic expectations rather than solely focusing on the benign nature of the condition.

Longitudinal Associations Between Optimism and Objective Measures of Physical Functioning in Women.

Importance: Identifying factors contributing to sustained physical functioning is critical for the health and well-being of the aging population, especially as physical functioning may precede and predict subsequent health outcomes. Prior work suggests optimism may protect health, but less is known about the association between optimism and objective physical functioning measures as individuals age. Objective: To evaluate the longitudinal association between optimism and 3 physical functioning measures. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a prospective cohort study using data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) with participants recruited from 1993 to 1998 and followed up over 6 years. Data analysis was conducted from January 2022 to July 2022. Participants included postmenopausal women older than 65 years recruited from 40 clinical centers in the US. Exposure: Optimism was assessed at baseline using the Life Orientation Test-Revised. Main Outcomes and Measures: Physical functioning was measured at 4 time points across 6 years by study staff evaluating performance in grip strength, timed walk, and chair stands. Results: The final analytic sample included 5930 women (mean [SD] age, 70 [4] years). Linear mixed-effects models controlling for demographics, depression, health status, and health behaviors showed that higher optimism was associated with higher grip strength (ß = 0.36; 95% CI, 0.21-0.50) and number of chair stands (ß = 0.05; 95% CI, 0.01-0.10) but not timed walk at baseline. Higher optimism was also associated with slower rates of decline in timed walk (ß = -0.09; 95% CI, -0.13 to -0.04) and number of chair stands (ß = 0.01; 95% CI, 0-0.03) but not grip strength over time. Cox proportional hazards models showed that higher optimism was associated with lower hazards of reaching clinically defined thresholds of impairment for all 3 outcomes over 6 years of follow-up. For example, in fully adjusted models, for a 1-SD increase in optimism, hazard ratios for reaching impairment thresholds were 0.86 (95% CI, 0.80-0.92) for grip strength, 0.94 (95% CI, 0.88-1.01) for timed walk, and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.85-0.98) for chair stands. Conclusion and Relevance: In this cohort study of postmenopausal women, at baseline, higher optimism was associated with higher grip strength and number of chair stands but not with the time it took to walk 6 m. Higher optimism at baseline was also associated with maintaining healthier functioning on 2 of the 3 performance measures over time, including less decline in walking speed and in number of chair stands women could perform over 6 years of follow-up. Given experimental studies suggesting that optimism is modifiable, it may be a promising target for interventions to slow age-related declines in physical functioning. Future work should explore associations of optimism with maintenance of physical functioning in diverse populations.

Transdiagnostic Unified Protocol for Women with Breast Cancer: A Preliminary Study

This article aimed to explore the feasibility and clinical utility of the online Unified Protocol to improve emotional regulation with women diagnosed with breast cancer. Method. Research with a quantitative, exploratory, descriptive, and interactive approach, with a quasi-experimental design, pre-posttest for paired samples. Nine women with an average age of 53 years (SD= 9.5; range from 41 to 71) participated in a psychological intervention of 12 weekly 90-minute sessions. A statistically significant change (p < 0.05) between pre and post-test measurements in Anxiety (t= 2.777; p=.024), Quality of life (Z= -2.670; p=.008), Optimism (t= -2.785; p= .024) and Positive Affect (t= -3.834; p=.005) were found. The size of the effect was moderate in Optimism and big in Anxiety, Quality of life and Positive Affect. High levels of treatment satisfaction were found. The intervention was useful to improve the emotional regulation of women with a medical condition in a pandemic context. (AU)

The Link between Abstract Thinking Style and Subjective Well-Being: Its Impact when People are in (Real or Perceived) Financial Scarcity

Across three studies, we explored the link between an abstract mindset and subjective well-being (SWB) in participants with real and/or perceived financial scarcity. In Studies 1 and 2, samples presented real objective financial vulnerability: Adolescents from lower-middle income districts (Study 1; N = 256), and adults without higher education and with very low incomes (Study 2; N = 210). In Studies 1 and 2 participants completed a survey including measures of thinking style and SWB. In Studies 2 and 3 perception of financial difficulty and SWB were also measured. Study 3 (N = 161) used a sample of university students and employed an experimental design manipulating participants’ thinking style (i.e., concrete versus abstract mindset conditions); additionally, all participants were induced to perceive financial scarcity. Correlations revealed a significant and positive relationship between an abstract thinking style and SWB (Studies 1 and 2). Thus, these results showed that a relatively more abstract thinking style was associated with greater life satisfaction. In Studies 2 and 3 mediation analyses indicated that adults who presented a more abstract thinking style, perceived lower financial difficulties and then reported greater SWB. Overall, given that an abstract thinking style can be induced, these results offer a new intervention approach for improving the SWB of people living in situations of financial scarcity. (AU)

The Long Shadow of Addiction-Related Nostalgia: Nostalgia Predicts Ambivalence and Undermines the Benefits of Optimism in Recovery.

Background: Previous research has shown that nostalgia for the pre-addicted self can motivate people living with addiction to engage in behavior change. Objective: Herein, we explored nostalgia for the addictive behavior-labeled addiction-related nostalgia (ARN)-among people in recovery from engaging in addictive behavior. We tested the novel idea that ARN is positively associated with ambivalence about recovery. We also hypothesized that ARN may counteract the positive influence of optimism on individuals' commitment to recovery. Results: In two studies involving individuals in recovery from a gambling (Study 1; N=301) or alcohol use disorder (Study 2; N=604), ARN was linked to increased ambivalence about recovery, while optimism was associated with decreased ambivalence. As expected, the interaction between optimism and ARN revealed that nostalgia either eliminated (Study 1) or reduced (Study 2) the negative relation between optimism and ambivalence. Conclusions: These findings underscore the challenges posed by ARN in the recovery process and emphasize the importance of interventions that address and mitigate its impact while considering the moderating role of optimism.

Optimistic vs Pessimistic Message Framing in Communicating Prognosis to Parents of Very Preterm Infants: The COPE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: In the neonatal intensive care unit, there is a lack of understanding about how best to communicate the prognosis of a serious complication to parents. Objective: To examine parental preferences and the effects of optimistic vs pessimistic message framing when providing prognostic information about a serious complication. Design, Setting, and Participants: This crossover randomized clinical trial was conducted at a single German university medical center between June and October 2021. Eligible participants were parents of surviving preterm infants with a birth weight under 1500 g. Data were analyzed between October 2021 and August 2022. Interventions: Alternating exposure to 2 scripted video vignettes showing a standardized conversation between a neonatologist and parents, portrayed by professional actors, about the prognosis of a hypothetical very preterm infant with severe intraventricular hemorrhage. The video vignettes differed in the framing of identical numerical outcome estimates as either probability of survival and probability of nonimpairment (optimistic framing) or a risk of death and impaired survival (pessimistic framing). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was preference odds (ratio of preference for optimistic vs pessimistic framing). Secondary outcomes included state anxiety, perceptions of communication, and recall of numerical estimates. Results: Of 220 enrolled parents (142 [64.5%] mothers; mean [SD] age: mothers, 39.1 [5.6] years; fathers, 42.7 [6.9] years), 196 (89.1%) preferred optimistic and 24 (10.1%) preferred pessimistic framing (preference odds, 11.0; 95% CI, 6.28-19.10; P < .001). Preference for optimistic framing was more pronounced when presented second than when presented first (preference odds, 5.41; 95% CI, 1.77-16.48; P = .003). State anxiety scores were similar in both groups at baseline (mean difference, -0.34; -1.18 to 0.49; P = .42) and increased equally after the first video (mean difference, -0.55; 95% CI, -1.79 to 0.69; P = .39). After the second video, state anxiety scores decreased when optimistic framing followed pessimistic framing but remained unchanged when pessimistic framing followed optimistic framing (mean difference, 2.15; 95% CI, 0.91 to 3.39; P < .001). With optimistic framing, participants recalled numerical estimates more accurately for survival (odds ratio, 4.00; 95% CI, 1.64-9.79; P = .002) but not for impairment (odds ratio, 1.50; 95% CI, 0.85-2.63; P = .16). Conclusions and Relevance: When given prognostic information about a serious complication, parents of very preterm infants may prefer optimistic framing. Optimistic framing may lead to more realistic expectations for survival, but not for impairment. Trial Registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): DRKS00024466.

Positive Attitude Towards Personal Drug Selection among Undergraduate Medical Students of a Medical College.

Introduction: Personal drug exercise helps in the selection of drugs depending on the criteria- safety, efficacy, suitability and cost. Undergraduate medical students are the future practitioners-in-training and should focus more on rational prescribing. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of positive attitudes towards personal drug selection among undergraduate medical students of a medical college. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among second and third-year medical students after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee. Data was collected from 1 December 2022 to 30 May 2023. A convenience sampling method was used. The point estimate was calculated at a 95% Confidence Interval. Results: Among 132 medical students, 126 (95.45%) (91.90-99.01, 95% Confidence Interval) of the students showed a positive attitude toward P-drug selection. Conclusions: The prevalence of positive attitudes towards P-drug selection among medical students was found to be similar to other studies done in similar settings. Keywords: medical students; medicine; perception; prevalence.

The relationship between emotional intelligence and optimism: A meta-analysis.

Optimism involves the general expectation good things will occur and greater optimism is associated with a number of positive life outcomes related to better mental and physical health. These outcomes include reduced likelihood of depression, more effective immune functioning and lower mortality. Emotional intelligence, which consists of adaptive emotional functioning, may be a foundation for optimism. This meta-analysis examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and optimism across 6889 participants from 25 independent samples. Across studies, a higher level of emotional intelligence was associated with greater optimism with a weighted effect size of, r = .35, p < .001. Measurement approach and country of participants moderated the effect size. These results have relevance for the design of positive psychology interventions.

A Missed Opportunity to Cultivate Positive Attitudes about Mental Health Recovery among Undergraduate Nursing Students - A Quasi-Experimental Controlled Study.

INTRODUCTION: Mental health recovery is a critical concept that needs to be thoroughly understood and supported by nurses. Undergraduate nurse educators have the opportunity to clarify misconceptions and cultivate positive recovery attitudes. AIM: To assess the impact of an undergraduate nursing course on attitudes toward mental health recovery and the relationship between recovery attitudes and prejudice toward those who experience a mental illness. METHODS: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest, nonequivalent-control group study was conducted using a sample of undergraduate nursing students in New York City (N = 126). The intervention group was assigned to an undergraduate mental health nursing course and the control group to a pediatric/maternal health nursing course. Attitudes toward mental health recovery and prejudice were measured at the beginning and end of the semester. Two-way mixed analyses of variance were used to determine the differences in students' attitudes. Pearson product-moment correlation analyses were used to assess the relationship between prejudice toward people who experience a mental illness and attitudes toward recovery. RESULTS: The mental health nursing course had no measurable impact on students' recovery attitudes. However, there was a moderate-to-strong inverse relationship between recovery attitudes and prejudice toward those who experience a general mental illness (r = -0.54), depression (r = -0.60), or schizophrenia (r = -0.43). CONCLUSIONS: Curriculum reform is needed to optimize the impact of undergraduate education on students' attitudes. Possible changes include a more holistic approach to mental health that does not over accentuate the biomedical model, the use of nontraditional clinical sites that provide students an opportunity to interact with those further along in their recovery, and the inclusion of those in recovery in curriculum development. As there was a moderate-to-strong inverse relationship between recovery attitudes and prejudice, educational interventions that positively impact one may also impact the other. Further research is needed to investigate if the relationship is causal.