The Ups and Downs of Optimism

The city of Higuera de la Serna went bankrupt, and its neighbors, instead of complaining, got to work to take on the responsibilities which the municipality used to perform but now could simply not handle. In their spare time, they all offered their help to take on work, from cleaning to masonry. This case is just one more proof that during complicated times, when people come together it can awaken optimism despite the circumstances.

The neuroscientist Tali Sharot from the University College of London, affirms that in the same way in which we experience optical illusions, sometimes we think we see something that is very different from our reality, because we succumb to other types of illusions. Some examples of the illusions we suffer include:

• The illusion of superiority that makes us think we are better than the average person. This happens particularly frequently in the academic field, where over 97% of people think the are superior. Which is impossible, that’s why it’s an illusion.