Hi ,

How are you doing today?

Have you ever met someone who acknowledges that high blood pressure, diabetes, or dementia run in their family—yet they firmly believe it won’t happen to them? That’s optimism bias at work.

The optimism bias is our brain’s tendency to overestimate the likelihood of positive outcomes and underestimate negative ones. It’s not just wishful thinking—it’s a well-documented cognitive bias, and as neuroscientist Dr. Tali Sharot explains, it’s deeply embedded in how our brains are wired.

From a health perspective, optimism bias can be a double-edged sword.

On one hand, optimism can be motivating, helping people believe they can recover from illness, change lifelong habits, or reach ambitious health goals. That belief in a better future can drive resilience and persistence—powerful forces when adopting long-term lifestyle changes. Studies show that optimistic people live longer than pessimistic ones.

On the other hand, optimism bias can also undermine prevention.

It can lead someone to:

• Skip routine blood pressure checks, assuming “it’s probably fine.”
• Continue with a poor sleep pattern, thinking, “I can handle it.”
• They delay taking action on early warning signs, convinced that “this won’t affect me " or that "Forgetting names is a part of getting older."

I’m excited to share that our next Cogniverse Book Club pick is The Optimism Bias by Dr. Tali Sharot. I am reading the book again. In it, she explores the neuroscience behind this bias and what it means for decision-making, risk perception, and, yes, health behaviours.

📚 Join us for the discussion: You can join even if you haven't read the book 😊

Register Here!

Whether you’re a health practitioner, a caregiver, or trying to make better health decisions, understanding optimism bias can help you (and those you support) stay realistic and hopeful—two traits that can coexist more peacefully than we think.

Best regards,

Shabnam

Dr. Shabnam Das Kar, MD

Functional Medicine Doctor

Brain Health Coach

Email: info@drkarmd.com