2000/01/01 by Shelley E. Taylor, Margaret E. Kemeny, Geoffrey M. Reed +2 · 3 citations
Psychology · #Optimism, Hope, and Well-being #Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction #Resilience and Mental Health #Psychology #Illusion #Psychological health #Social psychology #Clinical psychology #Applied psychology #Cognitive psychology
paper · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.99
openalex publication_date 2000/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/14
Psychological beliefs such as optimism, personal control, and a sense of meaning are known to be protective of mental health. Are they protective of physical health as well? The authors present a program of research that has tested the implications of cognitive adaptation theory and research on positive illusions for the relation of positive beliefs to disease progression among men infected with HIV. The investigations have revealed that even unrealistically optimistic beliefs about the future may be health protective. The ability to find meaning in the experience is also associated with a less rapid course of illness. Taken together, the research suggests that psychological beliefs such as meaning, control, and optimism act as resources, which may not only preserve mental health in the context of traumatic or life-threatening events but be protective of physical health as well.