How Can We Retain Optimism in Troubling Times? (first in a series)

On Feb. 27, 2024, Daniel Gwynn walked out of prison a free man after serving almost 30 years for a crime he didn’t commit. The prosecutors withheld evidence that could have exonerated him. This has happened to countless others, and many of them become hopeless and embittered. Not Daniel Gwynn. He maintained a “light within him” and kept his hopes up despite a prison life he described as “sitting here trapped in a box where the days tick away and the walls close in like a trash compacter.” How did he do it?

It began when he learned to paint (by reading self-help books). He wrote that it became his therapy, “a form of meditation that helped me work through my issues.” But it was more than that. He entered art competitions and raised money to help mentally ill prisoners and family members of murder victims. Gwynn wrote, “Where I once thought that all hope was lost, I’ve been able to open my heart to a variety of good people who had the courage and compassion to take a chance on me. I don’t believe I could have survived this situation on my own.” 

In a word, Daniel Gwynn was optimistic.

Americans have historically been an optimistic people. The French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville, writing about American in the 1830s, noted that “Americans all have a lively belief in the perfectibility of man … They all consider society as a body in a state of improvement.” I doubt that de Tocqueville would recognize America today. Consider:

• 77% of Americans are convinced crime is skyrocketing. They’re dead wrong. In 2023 the number of U.S. murders went down 13%, the largest drop on record. Other violent crimes also declined in significant numbers.

• A 2023 Gallup study found that 50% of Americans believe the media intend to misinform us.

• Americans are pessimistic about our major institutions. For 40 years Gallup has been monitoring trust in the presidency, police, big business, Congress, the Supreme Court, the military, small business and several others. Confidence has gone down in all but two of them: small business and the military.

• “Deaths of despair” – caused by drugs, suicide, alcohol poisoning – are at their highest level since records have been kept. Some sociologists posit that the underlying cause is a sense that one’s long-term social and economic prospects are bleak. Interestingly, a study of 16 other wealthy countries that found a decrease in such deaths, perhaps due to the fact that they provide more communal support than we do.

77% of Americans are convinced crime is skyrocketing. They’re dead wrong.

And here’s the irony: If Americans have been losing confidence in our institutions and in our country’s future for some time, others see us quite differently. A 2022 Pew Research Center study in 17 countries showed that 61% of respondents have a positive view of the U.S.

So what? Why worry about Americans’ pessimism?

The fact is, we Americans prefer leaders who are optimists. Our most popular presidents – Lincoln, FDR, Jefferson, Truman, Eisenhower, Teddy Roosevelt, among others – were optimists. They reflected America’s can-do spirit, the belief that tomorrow can be better than today and that we can make it so. When most people have some trust in their government, they’re more likely to pay their taxes, follow advice about vaccines, believe their elections are fair.

Optimism is also critical for social change. It took the suffrage movement 70 years for women to get the vote. It took 127 years to abolish slavery (the first known abolitionist activity was in 1738), 100 years to end segregation, decades to give women and gays equal rights (and we’re not finished). These movements’ leaders had to be optimists. How else could they keep fighting when their opponents put up barriers every step of the way?

Americans prefer optimistic leaders

Our lack of optimism also harms us at the personal level. Researchers have learned that compared to others, optimists:

• Live longer
• Have a higher sense of mental and physical well being
• Recover faster from many illnesses
• Are more engaged and productive at work
• Are more resilient; they bounce back from misfortune more frequently.

What causes pessimism at the personal level?

Lots of things. Consider the media: negative stories have far more impact than positive ones. And when we click on a negative story, the website’s algorithm remembers that and sends us more of the same. That can lead to “doomscrolling;” continually surfing the web for awful stories. And let’s face it; there’s lots of scary news these days. Becoming consumed with terrible news saps our energy and harms our mental health. Genetic factors also play a role with some people. And people who’ve had traumatic experiences are more prone to pessimism.

“Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons.” – Denzel Washington

In addition, pessimism has likely been a factor in our species’ survival. Our ancient ancestors who were constantly alert to threats were more likely to survive. If you have a friend or colleague who routinely comes up with 7 reasons why your new idea is likely to fail, don’t label them an impossible skeptic. They’re doing what many are wired to do; anticipating and avoiding problems. And it’s just possible that they’ve spotted an issue you haven’t seen. It turns out there are downsides to being an optimist; one is the tendency to miss warning signs.

Let’s get back to Daniel Gwynn, the man who was wrongfully imprisoned. He didn’t spend 30 years in a positive frame of mind. Far from it, he was frequently down. Optimism isn’t about putting on a happy face every day; it’s about hope for the future which helps us be resilient and look for ways to move forward. In Daniel’s case, his optimism helped him develop artistic talent, which gave him positive energy. It gave him a reason to get out of bed each morning. It helped him focus on others’ problems and provided a sense of purpose amidst so much despair.

How can we retain some optimism in these troubling times? I’ll offer several ways in upcoming blogs.

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Russ Linden is a leadership educator. His latest book: Loss and Discovery: What the Torah Can Teach Us about Leading Change [more info]