Optimism for the future is a ubiquitous human trait. In an fMRI study, Phelps and colleagues link this tendency to activity in amygdala and rostral anterior cingulate -- brain areas whose function may be disrupted in depression. Activation in these areas is higher when subjects imagine positive rather than negative future events, and activity levels also correlate with individual personality tendencies towards optimism.
- Tali Sharot
- Alison M. Riccardi
- Elizabeth A. Phelps