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Engagement and Arousal: Optimism’s Effects During a Brief Stressor

Lise Solberg Nes

University of Kentucky

Suzanne C. Segerstrom

University of Kentucky, scsege0{at}uky.edu

Sandra E. Sephton

University of Louisville

Optimism is usually associated with better psychological and physiological adjustment to stressors, but some contradictory findings exist. The purpose of this study was to investigate how optimism could result in negative immunological changes following difficult stressors. Because optimists are likely to see positive outcomes as attainable, they may invest greater effort to achieve their goals. It is proposed that such engagement would be more physiologically demanding when pursuing difficult goals. Participants (N = 54) worked on 11 difficult or insoluble anagrams. Optimism when combined with high self-awareness increased time spent working on the anagrams and skin conductance and salivary cortisol during the recovery period. The results support the notion that the increased engagement that arises from optimism may lead to short-term physiological costs.

Key Words: optimism • persistence • cortisol • heart rate • skin conductance

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 31, No. 1, 111-120 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167204271319
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L. S. Nes and S. C. Segerstrom
Dispositional Optimism and Coping: A Meta-Analytic Review
Personality and Social Psychology Review, August 1, 2006; 10(3): 235 - 251.
[Abstract] [PDF]