Tragic Optimism

What does it mean to keep an optimistic outlook when things are going just terribly? Do you just put a smile on your face and “look at the bright side”? “Grin and bear it”? “Fake it ‘til you make it”? There's another way to be optimistic in times of tragedy. It's called "tragic optimism," and some researchers in the UK found that people who embraced this outlook weathered the toughest times during pandemic lockdown better than others. Swansea University Ph.D. student in psychology Jessica Mead is one of those researchers. (Originally aired: March 29th, 2021)