The brain circuit that makes most people natural optimists has been identified by scientists, promising new insights into the origins of mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.

It is well established that humans tend to be optimistic about the future even when the evidence suggests otherwise. People generally overestimate their life expectancy while underestimating their chances of early death.

Research in the US has now indicated that this rose-tinted view of the future seems to be generated by two particular regions of the brain – the rostral anterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala. As abnormal activity in both regions is known to be more common among people suffering from depression – which in turn is linked to a negative or pessimistic outlook – the work could lead to new ways of treating some types of mental illness.

In the study, published in the journal Nature, a team led by Elizabeth Phelps and Tali Sharot, of New York University, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of volunteers, while they were asked to think of either positive or negative future events. The results showed that when subjects were thinking of positive events, their brains showed much greater levels of activity in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala. Brain activity in these areas also correlated with volunteers’ performance on a psychological questionnaire.

“Understanding optimism is critical as optimism has been related to physical and mental health. On the other hand, a pessimistic view is correlated with severity of depression symptoms,” Professor Phelps said.

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