shades fills you in

Media tells us the economy sucks, we’re close to nuclear war, and we’ll be boiled alive. But Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker says there’s never been a better time to be alive -- The Guardian

Bill Gates also thinks there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful about the future. His foundation found that global health has dramatically improved since the 1990s -- The Atlantic

This NYT Op agrees: There are so many good reasons to be optimistic. Yes, we’re living in an age of “American pessimism”, but even that isn’t so bad. By recognizing flaws, we’re one step closer to fixing them

And maybe things actually aren’t as bad as we think. Rational-Optimist writes that media outlets are biased in favor of bad news. “Good news is gradual, bad news is sudden”

The Atlantic agrees: American media tends to focus on the negative. But inequalities have shrunk, tech has improved, and companies are investing in America. In short, we’re rocking it

Mashable says humans are hardwired to be pessimistic. It’s what kept us alive in the Stone Age! But the habit’s not suited well for modern life. Believe it or not, everything *is* getting better

Besides, being optimistic when the odds are stacked against you is the most radical, brave choice you can make, says Guillermo del Toro

Brookings is optimistic too, even considering climate change: Sure, the climate emergency is dire, but we understand the problem better than ever before

A LitHub Op writes to dear young climate activists: “The Earth is still beautiful! And it’s not too late to preserve it. Every effort that we put forward to combat climate change *matters*”

Right, says a Hill Op. Embracing climate doom isn’t going to solve anything -- instead, we should focus on developing carbon removal tech. It’s the most realistic way to fix the climate crisis

But Conversation Magazine kinda disagrees: We need climate courage -- not blind optimism. People should focus on what *they’re* doing to fix climate change, not whether or not it’s fixable

The WSJ also warns of “toxic positivity”: You can’t look on the bright side *all* the time. Feeling heavy, negative emotions is healthy

The Atlantic has a different suggestion: “Tragic optimism”, which is searching for meaning in the face of tragedy. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl coined the phrase

Still not convinced that the glass is half full? Conversation Magazine also writes that optimists tend to live longer than pessimists. So try it!