Unrealistic optimism: East and west?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cross-cultural psychology
• Social psychology

Background:

• Optimistic bias in future life events is well-established, initially presumed universal.
• Research predominantly focused on Western populations, overlooking cultural variations.
• Unrealistic optimism, linked to self-enhancement, is less prevalent in East Asian cultures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate comparative optimism in a non-Western cultural context (India) compared to a Western context (England).
• To explore the interplay of culture and socioeconomic status (SES) on unrealistic optimism.

Main Methods:

• 287 middle-aged, middle-income participants (200 Indian, 87 English) were recruited.
• Participants rated the likelihood of 11 positive and 11 negative life events occurring to themselves versus 'people like them.'

Main Results:

• Indian participants showed significantly higher comparative optimism for negative events than English participants.
• For positive events, Indian participants' optimism varied by SES: higher SES optimistic, lower SES pessimistic.
• English participants exhibited neither optimism nor pessimism for positive events.

Conclusions:

• The expression of unrealistic optimism is not universal and is shaped by cultural factors.
• Socioeconomic status interacts with cultural context to influence optimistic or pessimistic outlooks.
• Findings highlight the importance of considering cultural and socioeconomic diversity in psychological research.