2002/01/01 by Cynthia T. F. Klein, Marie Helweg‐Larsen · 1 citation
Psychology · #Optimism, Hope, and Well-being #Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research #Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
paper · doi:10.1080/0887044022000004920
openalex publication_date 2002/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
People consistently believe that negative events are less likely to happen to them than to others. Research suggests a relationship between this optimistic bias and perceived control such that the greater control people perceive over future events, the greater their optimistic bias. We conducted a meta-analysis of 27 independent samples to quantify the size of this relationship and examine what variables moderated the relationship. Greater perceived control was significantly related to greater optimistic bias, but this relationship was moderated by participant nationality, student status, risk status, and the type of optimistic bias measure used. We discuss the findings in the context of primary versus secondary control.