How to be Hopeful

by Celia Gentle

What actually is hope and is there anything we can do to become more hopeful? This is one of many questions Dr. Charles Snyder addresses in his paper, “Hope Theory: Rainbows in the Mind”. By looking into his discussion of these questions, we are able to better utilize hope and find the hopefulness we are missing. 

         A traditional view of hope would be to consider hope as an emotion. However, people, like Dr. Snyder, are starting to look at hope differently: a way of thinking. This results in making hope something one can still choose to actively engage in, even when facing extreme feelings of hopelessness. 

         With this view, hope breaks down into three things: agency, end goals, and pathways to that goal. The difference between people who have lots of hope (high-hopers) and those who don’t (low-hopers) can be seen in the way they utilize these three aspects of hope. For example, high-hopers tend to set SMART goals and produce multiple pathways to reach these goals. These are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (to learn more about SMART goals you can go to https://positivepsychology.com/goal-setting-psychology/). On the other hand, low-hopers tend to have vague goals with few pathways. Under this view, even people who say they feel hopeless are still in fact hoping; they still have a goal in mind, they still have a pathway (even if it’s wishing things would just magically change), and there is still a degree of agency (although it tends to be negative). The process of coming up with and evaluating goals, including multiple pathways, along with time spent positively motivating oneself is all time spent hoping, and since low-hopers aren’t doing this, they are spending less time hoping than high-hopers are.

         The way we think and the pathways we use to reach conclusions is something that is learned. Everyone can learn to be better hopers. Even if there is some natural tendency to be a low-hoper, one can still learn to think in a high-hope way. While as individuals, we have each learned a way of hoping, we can still learn new ways of hoping to replace these habits. 

         Of course, this is easier said than done. Unlearning and rebuilding new pathways takes a lot of time, energy, and focus. Despite this, it is possible, and there are ways to make re-learning how to hope a bit easier. 

One thing to keep in mind is that while they are related to each other, the three aspects of hoping are also separate. While trying to tackle all three at once would be a lot of work, being able to focus on just one aspect at a time can make the task easier.

         This does raise another question though: would it really be good for us to rewire ourselves to be more hopeful all the time? Or could this lead us to delusions about our abilities and supply us with too much false hope? These are important questions, especially when thoughts of hopelessness are accompanied by thoughts that you don’t deserve any better. For some, feeling hopeless can feel like the right attitude to have.

         Despite this common stream of thought, as Dr Synder discusses in his paper, studies have shown it to not be true. In fact, people who are low-hopers tend to distort reality more than high-hopers. There is evidence that high-hopers are able to adjust their expectations and edit their plans and goals as reality unfolds. The process of coming up with more detailed goals and thinking of the different ways those goals can be achieved actually puts high-hopers more in touch with the reality of what they are looking to do. Moreover, just because someone has a lot of hope doesn’t mean they are ignoring signs of failure but rather taking those signs into consideration when picking the best path forward for them. 

         Feeling hopeless can be extremely debilitating, and viewing hope as an emotion or as something inevitable can add to the feeling that there is nothing you can do to make your situation better. However, this is not true. You have control over whether or not you feel hopeful, and while it will take time to build new habits, it is still possible.

If you want to learn more about the psychology behind this view of hope you can read Snyder’s work here:

Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249–275. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1304_01 

And for some other perspectives on hope….

The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness
By Jerome Groopman

Man's Search for Meaning
By Viktor E. Frankl