The Science of Hope | Jacqueline Mattis
Dr. Jacqueline Mattis, a clinical psychologist and Dean of Faculty at Rutgers University, discusses hope as a trainable mental skill rooted in data. She shares five strategies to cultivate hope, emphasizing its role in guiding action and clarifying values.
Deep Dive Analysis
19 Topic Outline
Introduction to Dr. Jacqueline Mattis and the Science of Hope
Dr. Mattis's Personal and Academic Path to Studying Hope
Family History and the Roots of Faith-Driven Hope
Distinguishing Spirituality from Religiosity
When Hope Goes Wrong: Unrealistic Optimism
The Role of Prophetic Imagination in Hope
Defining Hope: Optimism with a Plan
Hope Clarifies Values and Acts as a Resource
Finding Hope in Tenuous Times
The Power of Micro and Macro Hope
Reinterpreting Pandora's Box and the Fuel of Hope
Tina Turner: An Avatar of Hopefulness
Strategy 1: Start with Goals
Strategy 2: Harness the Power of Uncertainty
Strategy 3: Manage Your Attention
Strategy 4: Seeking Community
Strategy 5: Look at the Evidence
Cultivating Hope: Changing Your Personal Story
Hope in Interpersonal and Intergroup Relationships
6 Key Concepts
Spirituality
An appreciation of the sacredness of life and the recognition that if life is sacred, then there are certain things that you never let happen to another living thing. It can exist independently of religious belief, with atheists sometimes being quite spiritual.
Religiosity
Requires belief in a God and participation in structures and rituals that are attached to the worship of a God. It typically involves adherence to specific doctrines and practices within a faith tradition.
Optimism
An orientation towards the future where one expects that things will work out well. It is a generalized sense of positive expectation but does not necessarily include a specific plan for achieving those outcomes.
Hope (scientific definition)
This is optimism combined with an 'agency mindset,' meaning an expectation that future events or experiences will work out, plus an anticipation of a plan that will get you there and active engagement with that plan. Hope is optimism with a plan.
Unrealistic Optimism
A misguided sense of optimism or hope that can lead people to take dangerous risks, assume things will work out when they are not likely to, or make problematic attributions. It is hope that is not rooted in a thoughtful appreciation of how the world works or available data.
Prophetic Imagination
The capacity to see something that is not currently visible in front of you and to imagine it in enough detail that you can work towards it and recognize its pieces as you're moving towards it. It allows individuals to envision and strive for a different future.
5 Questions Answered
Yes, people who are atheists can be quite spiritual, appreciating the sacredness of life, which can lead them to make decisions to care for others based on a faith in humanity rather than a specific God.
Yes, a misguided sense of optimism, or 'unrealistic optimism,' can lead people to take dangerous risks, assume things will work out that won't, or even contribute to the bystander effect by hoping someone else will intervene.
Hope can be maintained by recognizing that we are never in a choice-free environment, even when outcomes depend on others. The ability to make choices, individually and collectively, provides a basis for optimism and the potential for positive change.
It can be, but denial can also have positive benefits, especially in moments of high stress or when choices are limited. It can serve as a bridge to get through a difficult period until one can process data differently and find new pathways.
Yes, change is possible through therapeutic work or self-reflection, by re-examining one's life story, challenging assumptions, and bringing in overlooked data (like past successes) to create a more balanced 'counter-story' that better matches the full reality of one's life.
26 Actionable Insights
1. Cultivate Hope as Skill
Understand that hope is not a passive state of optimism but a trainable and extremely useful mental skill that can be actively developed.
2. Clarify Your Values
Allow hope to force you to clarify your core values. Once your values are clear, it helps you to double down on hope and guide your actions.
3. Recognize Your Choices
Understand that you are never in a choice-free environment, even when outcomes depend on others. The mere existence of choices provides a continuous reason to maintain hope.
4. Set Clear Goals
Define a specific, meaningful end-game or outcome that you are moving towards. Hope is optimism with a plan, and that plan must lead to something concrete.
5. Harness Uncertainty Positively
Recognize that if an outcome is not certain, then your desired possibility is still within the pool of potential outcomes. This perspective allows you to believe that anything you want to be is possible.
6. Challenge Unhelpful Narratives
If a story you’re telling yourself (e.g., about fear or failure) doesn’t serve your goals, consciously stop telling it. Pivot to another story that can serve you better and align with your desired outcomes.
7. Assess Your Story with Data
Evaluate the realism of your self-narratives by examining the actual data of your life. Focus on the moments of success, which often outnumber failures, to build a more accurate self-perception.
8. Manage Your Attention
Deliberately focus on positive data and narratives, and surround yourself with people who reflect reasons for hope. Avoid dwelling on failures or negativity to maintain a hopeful outlook.
9. Embrace Denial as Bridge
In moments of overwhelming difficulty or stress, a temporary dose of denial can be a helpful bridge. Use it to get through the immediate moment until you can process data differently and more constructively.
10. Seek and Cultivate Community
Actively connect with others who can reflect reasons for hope, help fill gaps in your plans, and provide fuel through gratitude and shared purpose. Being in community strengthens your sense of possibility.
11. Actively Connect with Others
Make the daily effort to pick up a phone, text someone, or engage in other forms of connection. These actions allow you to appreciate the awesomeness of humans and the life you get to live.
12. Look at the Evidence
Actively seek and piece together empirical data from your own life or others’ experiences. This evidence demonstrates the feasibility of your goals, confirming that they are possible even if not easy.
13. Learn from Others’ Paths
Study the actions and strategies of people who have overcome similar roadblocks to yours. Find specific ’nuggets’ of wisdom that can guide you towards your own goals.
14. Cultivate Prophetic Imagination
Develop the ability to envision a desired future that isn’t currently visible. Imagine it in enough detail to work towards it and recognize its emerging pieces as you progress.
15. Be Flexible and Pivot
When an initial plan doesn’t work out, be prepared to adjust your approach. This flexibility ensures you can still achieve the core of what you ultimately want, even if the path changes.
16. Deauthorize Negative Voices
Consciously choose not to believe or internalize the negative opinions of those who tell you that you cannot achieve your goals. Protect your hope from external negativity.
17. Examine Your Life Story
Engage in self-reflection to understand how the stories you tell about yourself serve or disserve you. This therapeutic process helps identify self-limiting narratives.
18. Bring in Ignored Data
Actively seek out and incorporate overlooked details from your life that create a more complete and often counter-narrative to self-limiting beliefs. This provides a more balanced view of your experiences.
19. Recognize Daily Self-Making
Understand that you are continuously shaping yourself through every decision, every second, every minute, every day. This perspective empowers you with agency over who you become.
20. See Humanity in Others
Actively look for goodness and shared human experiences in others, including those you perceive as different or adversarial. This is a crucial source of hope for connection and coexistence.
21. Examine Stories About ‘The Other’
Critically evaluate the narratives you hold about other people or groups. Seek counter-stories and overlooked data that could foster better intergroup relationships and understanding.
22. Address Your Own Vulnerability
Practice self-awareness by acknowledging your own fears and vulnerabilities. This allows you to better understand and connect with the humanity in others, building bridges across differences.
23. Use Gratitude for Purpose
Leverage a strong sense of gratitude for your privileges and resources to motivate daily decisions. Focus on actions that are meaningful and helpful to others, living a life of purpose.
24. Focus on What Matters
Prioritize and aim towards the most important things for yourself and your community, especially during times of crisis. This focus guides collective action towards optimal outcomes.
25. Deliberately Seek Positive Outcomes
Actively look for potential positive outcomes and opportunities, even in challenging situations. Remain grounded in present reality while envisioning a better future.
26. Focus on Personal Agency
Understand that your individual choices (micro) can contribute to broader positive changes (macro). Appreciate that if enough people make outward-facing decisions, good things can be achieved together.
4 Key Quotes
hope is rooted in data. It's not fantasy.
Jacqueline Mattis
We are responsible for loving people through the worst moments of their lives. And you don't ask questions, you just do it.
Jacqueline Mattis
hope is not the end. It's not the knife. It's the, it's the bridge. It's the fuel. It's the food that gets you to the next good place.
Jacqueline Mattis
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 Goals: Have an end game, a meaningful final outcome that you are moving towards, as the plan needs a specific destination.
- Harness the Power of Uncertainty: Recognize that complete control is a fantasy. If an outcome is not certain, then the desired outcome is still a possibility, providing reason to be hopeful.
- Manage Your Attention: Actively choose to pay attention to positive data and narratives, focusing on the healthy 'surroundings' rather than solely on negative aspects or failures.
- Seeking Community: Surround yourself with people who reflect good reasons for hope, help narrate possibilities, and can assist in filling gaps in your planning, providing fuel through gratitude and shared purpose.
- Look at the Evidence: Actively piece together data from your own life or the lives of others that suggests the feasibility of your goals. Hopeful people select evidence that supports possibility, even if the path is not easy.