The Science of Hope | Jacqueline Mattis
Dr. Jacqueline Mattis, a clinical psychologist and Dean of Faculty at Rutgers University, discusses five scientific strategies for cultivating hope. She emphasizes hope as a skill rooted in agency and planning, not unfounded optimism, and how it clarifies values and drives action.
Deep Dive Analysis
18 Topic Outline
Introduction to Dr. Jacqueline Mattis and Hope Research
Personal Journey: From Spirituality to Hope
Family History, Faith, and Unexplainable Success
Faith, Spirituality, and the Potential for Unwise Optimism
Hope as Optimism with a Concrete Plan
Early Research on Altruism and Self-Sacrifice
Defining Hope and Optimism
Hope Clarifies Values and Challenges Resource Theory
Cultivating Hope in Current Global Crises
Personal Approach to Hope and Gratitude
Reinterpreting Pandora's Box: Hope as a Bridge
Tina Turner: An Avatar of Hope and Resilience
Strategy 1: Start with Clear Goals
Strategy 2: Harness the Power of Uncertainty
Strategy 3: Manage Your Attention Towards the Positive
Strategy 4: The Importance of Seeking Community
Strategy 5: Look at the Evidence for Possibility
Hope as a Skill: Changing Personal and Intergroup Narratives
6 Key Concepts
Religiosity
Religiosity involves believing in a God and participating in specific structures and rituals associated with the worship of that God.
Spirituality
Spirituality is an appreciation for the sacredness of life and the recognition that certain actions should never be taken against another living being, independent of belief in a specific deity.
Optimism
Optimism is a general orientation towards the future, characterized by an expectation that things will work out well.
Hope
Hope combines optimism (the expectation that future events will work out) with an 'agency mindset,' meaning one anticipates a plan to achieve desired outcomes and actively engages in that plan. It is optimism with a plan.
Prophetic Imagination
Prophetic imagination is the ability to envision something not currently present, to imagine it with enough detail to work towards it, and to recognize its emerging pieces along the way.
Conservation of Resources Theory
This psychological theory suggests that people with existing resources have good reason to be optimistic and hopeful, and that optimism and hope themselves become resources that individuals work to preserve, as they help navigate challenges and prevent loss.
7 Questions Answered
She initially studied spirituality, observing how belief in something larger than oneself often led to hope, especially in the face of hardship, which organically shifted her focus to hope.
Yes, unrealistic optimism or a misguided sense of hope can lead people to take dangerous risks, make problematic attributions, or abdicate personal responsibility by assuming others will intervene.
Optimism is a general expectation that things will work out well, whereas hope adds an 'agency mindset' – the anticipation of a specific plan to achieve desired outcomes and active engagement with that plan.
Hope compels individuals to clarify their core values, and a clear understanding of these values, in turn, strengthens and cultivates a deeper sense of hope.
Hope can be maintained by recognizing that choices always exist, even in crises, and that collective action based on those choices can lead to optimal outcomes, rather than being locked into predetermined negative possibilities.
Hope is not a 'twisting of the knife' but rather the fuel, bridge, or food that allows humans to project themselves into a future where things will be okay, despite experiencing horrors and difficulties.
Yes, through therapeutic work or self-reflection, individuals can examine and change the stories they tell themselves about their lives, focusing on successes and challenging pessimistic narratives to foster a more hopeful outlook.
22 Actionable Insights
1. Clarify Core Values
Identify and commit to your fundamental values, as hope is cultivated by a radical commitment to caring and loving, which helps you double down on hope.
2. Rewrite Your Life’s Story
Examine the narrative you tell yourself about your life, assess if it serves you, and integrate overlooked successes to create a counter-story that more accurately reflects your full reality.
3. Embrace Personal Vulnerability
Acknowledge and accept your own fallibility and fears, as this self-awareness is crucial for building bridges with others and recognizing their shared humanity.
4. Exercise Your Choices
Recognize that you are never in a choice-free environment; actively making decisions, even small ones, provides reason to hope and can lead to optimal outcomes.
5. Ground Hope in Data
Base your optimism on a thoughtful appreciation of how the world works, reading the room, and connecting past experiences to reasonably expect positive future outcomes, rather than fantasy.
6. Set Clear Goals
Define specific, meaningful outcomes you are working towards, as a clear “end game” is essential for a hopeful person to create a plan and measure progress.
7. Cultivate Prophetic Imagination
Develop the ability to envision a future that isn’t currently visible, imagining it in enough detail to work towards it and recognize its emerging pieces, grounded in some data.
8. Harness Uncertainty’s Power
View uncertainty not with anxiety, but as a field of possibilities where your desired outcomes are still achievable, challenging those who claim things are impossible.
9. Challenge Unhelpful Narratives
Stop telling stories that don’t serve your goals, such as expecting a “horrible, fiery mess,” and instead pivot to narratives supported by the actual, often successful, data of your life.
10. Manage Your Attention
Intentionally focus on positive data and supportive narratives, such as people who believe in you or the healthy aspects of a situation, rather than dwelling on failures or negative details.
11. Pivot When Plans Fail
Be flexible and adapt your approach when an articulated plan doesn’t work out, ensuring you remain focused on achieving the core intention of your ultimate goal.
12. Actively Seek Community
Surround yourself with people who can reflect reasons for hope, help with creative problem-solving, and provide the fuel of gratitude and shared purpose, actively connecting through everyday actions.
13. Look at the Evidence
Empirically review your own life and the lives of others for evidence that confirms the feasibility of your goals, even if difficult, piecing together successful strategies from various models.
14. Embrace Responsibility for Others
Take on the responsibility for loving and caring for people, especially during their worst moments, trusting that what you need will be provided as you create a world of love.
15. Craft Your Future Self
Make daily choices about the person you want to become, actively shaping yourself towards desired versions, as these choices accumulate and pay off over time.
16. Leverage Crisis Learnings
Use moments of crisis, like a pandemic, as opportunities to reflect on what has been learned and capitalize on those insights to create more humane and effective systems for families and communities.
17. Focus on True Priorities
Shift your focus from superficial concerns to fundamental issues like thriving families and social justice, and intentionally plan towards improving these larger, more meaningful outcomes.
18. Deauthorize Naysayers
Disregard those who tell you what you cannot do, trusting your inner intuition that “this is not the end game” and that a better future is possible for you.
19. Recognize Life’s Support Pastiche
Acknowledge that your life is a collection of moments where people (friends, teachers, community) have made decisions to love and support you into your reality, contributing to your success.
20. Extend Hope to Intergroup Relations
Apply the practice of re-evaluating narratives to intergroup relationships, seeking counter-stories and data that allow for more beautiful and hopeful coexistence across lines of human difference.
21. Engage in Reflective Dialogue
Have open conversations with others about their experiences and challenges, seeking common ground and “bridges” to foster understanding and celebrate shared humanity.
22. Use Denial as a Bridge
When overwhelmed by stress or limited choices, allow for a “good dose of denial” as a temporary coping mechanism to bridge you to a point where you can process data differently and regain hope.
5 Key Quotes
Hope is optimism with a plan.
Jacqueline Mattis
If you know that we still have choice, you still have reason to hope.
Jacqueline Mattis
Hope forces you to clarify your values. And once you clarify your values, it helps you to double down on hope.
Jacqueline Mattis
Hope is not the end. It's not the knife. It's the bridge. It's the fuel. It's the food that gets you to the next good place.
Jacqueline Mattis
Every day we get to make a decision. A colleague of mine used to talk about the fact that we're all in the process of being made. And we get to be part of the making of ourselves.
Jacqueline Mattis
1 Protocols
Five Strategies for Cultivating Hope
Jacqueline Mattis- Start with clear goals, defining what a successful outcome looks like.
- Harness the power of uncertainty by recognizing that if an outcome is not impossible, then it is still within the realm of possibility.
- Manage your attention by focusing on positive data and narratives, rather than dwelling on failures or negative aspects.
- Seek community to gain support, creative ideas, and reminders of why your goals are important, especially when you are exhausted or stressed.
- Look at the evidence by piecing together data from your own life or others' lives that demonstrates the feasibility of achieving your goals, even if it's not easy.