It is more than unlikely for someone who has been in a social interaction with a senior to not know about the famous motivational quote that goes as ‘Believe you can and you are halfway there.’ by Theodore Roosevelt. Nevertheless, I am here to tell you that although it sounds unfeasible, it is in fact scientifically proven to be true. Perhaps not for the exact purpose of passing your finals exam working half as hard, but hope has some undeniably remarkable contributions which most definitely will be advantageous in the long run even for your academic achievements.
In Hope Theory, created by psychologist Charles R. Synder and his colleagues, hope is simply described as involving the will to get there, and different ways to get there. Hope related insights are momentous. Hope guides learning objectives, which are helpful for development and improvement. Psychology Today puts it this way; those who lack hope tend to adopt mastery goals, leading them to pick the simpler routes in life obstructing the possibilities life may bring for their personal growth by avoiding any kind of challenge.
An instance of belief and hope’s effects can be also seen through how it, as a matter of fact, can significantly aid and fasten the recovery process of people with medical issues. In the book called “The Anatomy of Hope”, writer Jerome Groopman says “Belief and expectation — the key elements of hope — can block pain by releasing the brain’s endorphins and enkephalins, mimicking the effects of morphine. In some cases, hope can also have important effects on fundamental physiological processes like respiration, circulation and motor function.”
In addition to the previously mentioned statement, he also makes references to the acknowledged concept known as the ‘placebo effect’. Placebo effect is described as ‘improvement of symptoms is observed, despite using a nonactive treatment and it is believed to occur due to psychological factors like expectations or classical conditioning.’ In other words, your brain convinces your body into what can be called as a ‘fake’ treatment.
To summarize everything that has been stated so far, it is extremely easy to fall into that rabbit hole and focus on the negativity surrounding us. Almost instinctive in a way. At the end of the day, we are social creatures and can pick antagonism over optimism like an acquired behavior. Although learning to resist to those desires can be challenging, it is important to know that it is a journey and like everything in life practice makes perfect.
“Have you ever met a happy hopeless person?”