Optimism may protect from depression—researcher

Press, 14 March 1987, Page 14

Optimism may protect from depression—researcher

NZPA-AP Chicago Depressed people have a more realistic view of themselves and how they influence their lives than those who are upbeat and optimistic, says a psychologist who studied college students’ reactions to midterm grades. Lauren Alloy, an associate professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, United States, said her latest

research also provided evidence that an optimistic view of life might be a protective shield against depression. In a series of studies since 1979, Alloy and Lyn Abramson, an associate psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin, have developed a theory they call depressive realism. “Depressives seem to be more accurate and

realistic in their views of themselves,” Professor Alloy said. “We found in experiments on depressed college students that they had a more accurate perception of their control over outcomes or events. "But non-depressed people tend to have an overly optimistic view of themselves,” she said. Her research found that non-depressed people often took personal credit when things went well in their lives and blamed outside forces, like bad luck, when problems develop, she said. “Depressives do not show that optimistic bias. “Based on some of these prior .findings, we wondered if this depressed realism was actually a cause of depression itself,” she said. In 1985, Professor Alloy and three colleagues studied the reactions of 144 Northwestern students to their mid-term grades in an undergraduate psychology class. “When the course began the students were given a questionnaire to gauge whether they had an optimistic view of themselves or symptoms

of depression. After midterm grades were posted, the students were given a second questionnaire to determine their reaction.” Professor Alloy said the researchers found that students without the optimistic bias became depressed by a bad midterm grade. But the students with a rosy outlook on life did not become depressed, instead blaming the bad grade on forces outside their control, such as an unfair teacher. “This piece of evidence begins to suggest that people who do not have optimistic biases and illusions may be more likely to become depressed when bad events occur,” Professor Alloy said. She emphasised that such conclusions were preliminary and had to be tested in further research. The results of the latest study were being reviewed for journal publication, she said.