What do you think?
Rate this book
Optimism: The Biology of Hope
Rutgers professor Tiger explores the human trait of believing in hope and improvement.
- GenresSciencePsychology
318 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
2 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 24, 2010
An intriguing work by anthropologist Lionel Tiger. . . . He begins by stating his purpose (Page 15): "I am saying that making optimistic symbols and anticipating optimistic outcomes of undecided situations is as much a part of human nature, of the human biology, as are the shape of the body, the growth of children, and the zest of sexual pleasure." In other words, being optimistic is a part of human nature as a result of evolutionary processes at work.
As he proceeds from chapter to chapter, he elaborates his argument, strengthening his case that humans are optimistic by nature.
People who do not accept evolutionary arguments will not be likely to accept his thesis. But for those willing to entertain his perspective, this will prove to be an interesting, rewarding work to confront.
As he proceeds from chapter to chapter, he elaborates his argument, strengthening his case that humans are optimistic by nature.
People who do not accept evolutionary arguments will not be likely to accept his thesis. But for those willing to entertain his perspective, this will prove to be an interesting, rewarding work to confront.
July 7, 2013
Stretching read for me. Connects our chemical make up to how we view life depending on the presence or absence of said chemicals and why from an evolutionary stand point either and the range between would be beneficial in a social group.
August 14, 2019
This was not an easy read and I did not get into the book until about page 70+, but I pressed on. Optimism is defined as 'an isolatable element, a mood or an attitude with an expectation about the social or material future, one which the evaluator regards as socially desirable, to his advantage, or pleasurable.' It's always subjective. Happy thoughts make us feel good.
The author is an atheist and believes that religion is a biological phenomenon. We traverse the history of the hunter-gatherer to agricultural-pastoral. Religions exist because we have hope. The function of learning is to reduce social differentiation not to increase it (ah-this is public schools in action).
We go to Jesus' birth, parents caring for a child. It's important for kids to have close familial relationships and to learn. This concept is a key one in all these psychology books and I agree with it.
The kibbutz example-moms wanted kids with them, not raised in a dorm. Breast feeding is better than formula, forced sterilization is a bad thing, India eg.
Depression is the common cold of mental illness and has a genetic origin. There's a long chapter on physiology which means the biological study of functions of living organisms and their parts. There are examples of drugs, the placebo effect, the Hawthorne effect, and mention of Martin Seligman's learned helplessness.
Money and greed worked okay with hunter-gatherers but not now. There's a pathology of optimism and greed, eg, jewelry shops. We consume more and more today. Stock market is a gamble, it's unpredictable. Travel brings optimism. We're overly concerned with status. We use symbols to show this, clothes, jewels, photos, antiques, art, connecting with the past, and heirlooms. Control of the past yields optimism in the future. Body-vanity issues and food are discussed. Sugar addiction and linkage to slavery. Eat less, exercise and do sports to improve your well-being.
Corruption is a problem everywhere and it threatens optimism. In sum, optimism is wired in us from the hunter-gatherer days. This book was very interesting and is somewhat out of date as it was written in 1979. There were too many references to Marx and communists for me as those systems drain people's optimism away. You will learn some social history here so have at it.
The author is an atheist and believes that religion is a biological phenomenon. We traverse the history of the hunter-gatherer to agricultural-pastoral. Religions exist because we have hope. The function of learning is to reduce social differentiation not to increase it (ah-this is public schools in action).
We go to Jesus' birth, parents caring for a child. It's important for kids to have close familial relationships and to learn. This concept is a key one in all these psychology books and I agree with it.
The kibbutz example-moms wanted kids with them, not raised in a dorm. Breast feeding is better than formula, forced sterilization is a bad thing, India eg.
Depression is the common cold of mental illness and has a genetic origin. There's a long chapter on physiology which means the biological study of functions of living organisms and their parts. There are examples of drugs, the placebo effect, the Hawthorne effect, and mention of Martin Seligman's learned helplessness.
Money and greed worked okay with hunter-gatherers but not now. There's a pathology of optimism and greed, eg, jewelry shops. We consume more and more today. Stock market is a gamble, it's unpredictable. Travel brings optimism. We're overly concerned with status. We use symbols to show this, clothes, jewels, photos, antiques, art, connecting with the past, and heirlooms. Control of the past yields optimism in the future. Body-vanity issues and food are discussed. Sugar addiction and linkage to slavery. Eat less, exercise and do sports to improve your well-being.
Corruption is a problem everywhere and it threatens optimism. In sum, optimism is wired in us from the hunter-gatherer days. This book was very interesting and is somewhat out of date as it was written in 1979. There were too many references to Marx and communists for me as those systems drain people's optimism away. You will learn some social history here so have at it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews