Ask most people what they think is the most predictive indicator of personal well-being, and you’ll probably hear things like good health, a stable family, food security, and access to medical and mental health care. While all of these are great answers and vital contributors to well-being, according to Hope Rising: How the Science of HOPE Can Change Your Life, the correct (and studied, and proven) answer is hope.
The book’s authors, Casey Gwinn, J.D. and Chad Hellman, PhD., go on to report results of some of the more than 2,000 published studies on hope:
- adults and children with higher hope do better at navigating injury, diseases, and physical pain
- they score higher on important indices like personal satisfaction, self-esteem, optimism, and meaning of life
- they do better in sports even when ability is equal
- they have higher rates in academics from elementary school to graduate school
What is hope, anyway?
According to Crystal Bryce, associate director of research at Arizona State University’s Center for the Advanced Study and Practice of Hope, hope is “a cognitive practice that involves the intentional act of setting goals and working toward them with purpose.”
“Hopeful people feel as though they can do the work to achieve those goals,” she says.
Gwinn and Hellman agree, calling hope “a verb,” one that gives hopeful people the belief that they have the ability to change their own future.
ASU researchers are quick to emphasize that hope is not the same thing as optimism. The difference, they say, is action. They point out that blind optimism doesn’t require a person to do anything. Hope, on the other hand, requires one to take action to work toward their goals.
“Optimistic people see the glass as half full. Hopeful people ask how they can fill the glass.”
Why is hope important?
In Heroes In Waiting’s home state of Oklahoma, our Department of Health’s most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows that 43% of high school students report feeling sad or hopeless. In contrast, multiple studies have correlated hopefulness and resilience with lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms in students, protection against suicidal thoughts and behaviors, improved coping skills, and better academic outcomes. Data from a recent ASU study showed that first-year college students with increased levels of hope not only exhibited more prosocial behavior and engagement with community, they were also more likely to continue their education.
These are just some of the reasons Heroes In Waiting made the intentional decision to include hope in our new high school anti-bullying and peace-building curriculum, sponsored by Love’s Travel Stops and set to release later this year.
“We imagined this new curriculum to serve as a beacon of hope, fostering resilience and empathy among students,” says Heroes In Waiting education coordinator Tammy Jensen. “By empowering them to stand against bullying, we are not just addressing harmful behaviors; we are nurturing a community where kindness and understanding thrive.”
She adds, “Change begins with each individual’s choice to act. Hope comes from within, and that’s what we’re here to foster.