The Science of Hope
The Science of Hope
by Jeane Hendrix, RN
In many churches this past Sunday, they lit the Candle of Hope to signify the beginning of Advent. If you are a person of the Christian faith, hope is what Christmas is all about. We celebrate the birth of Christ who is our hope of salvation.
But hope isn’t reserved for religious circles; hope is mentioned in almost all ancient texts…even Greek Mythology. Remember the Greek god Zeus who sealed every evil in a box and labeled it to never be opened? But Pandora couldn’t resist peeking inside and when she cracked the seal, out rushed greed and pain and death. Horrified, she put the lid back on as fast as she could, but it was too late! Every form of suffering had already escaped and there was only one thing that remained at the bottom of the box…hope. Pandora was so overcome with grief by what she had done that her sobs drowned out the still small voice inside the box that repeatedly whispered, “Let me out!” When she finally heard the little voice, she reopened the box and released hope … and the world was restored!
It seems that people have always felt that hope is an antidote to the evils of the world. And now that science is on the side of hope, you might be surprised at what two decades of research has found out about this four letter word.
Hope Theory
Thanks to Dr. C. R. Snyder, there is an entire Hope Theory and even a scale to measure hopefulness. You can use his Hope Scale below to get a sense of where you rank in terms of hopefulness.
The scores can range from 8 (low) to 64 (high.)
The Hope Scale
Directions: Read each item carefully. Using the scale shown below, please select the number that best describes YOU and put that number in the blank provided.
1. = Definitely False
2. = Mostly False
3. = Somewhat False
4. = Slightly False
5. = Slightly True
6. = Somewhat True
7. = Mostly True
8. = Definitely True
___ 1. I can think of many ways to get out of a jam.
___ 2. I energetically pursue my goals.
___ 3. I feel tired most of the time.
___ 4. There are lots of ways around any problem.
___ 5. I am easily downed in an argument.
___ 6. I can think of many ways to get the things in life that are important to me.
___ 7. I worry about my health.
___ 7. I worry about my health.
___ 8. Even when others get discouraged, I know I can find a way to solve the problem.
___ 9. My past experiences have prepared me well for my future.
___10. I’ve been pretty successful in life.
___11. I usually find myself worrying about something.
___12. I meet the goals that I set for myself.
___11. I usually find myself worrying about something.
___12. I meet the goals that I set for myself.
[Hope Scale via Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T., et al.(1991). The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 570-585.]
Understanding Hope
Don’t confuse hope with optimism or wishful thinking. According to Dr Snyder, hopefulness depends upon two types of thinking, which he calls agency thinking and pathways thinking:
- Agency thinking simply means that you believe that you have the ability to pursue your goal even though you know that there are obstacles in your path. You might say things like, “I won’t let anything stop me!”
- Pathways thinking means that you can come up with alternate paths to reach your goal, despite any obstacle. You might say, ”I’ll think of something!”
Dr. Snyder says that people who have both types of thinking enjoy surprising benefits that people who test lower on the Hope Scale miss out on. Hope Scale scores have been shown to be a reliable predictor of college students’ academic performance – even more than SAT scores (which are based on IQ.) Students with higher Hope Scale scores had higher GPA’s and a higher likelihood of graduating from college.
One of my favorite case studies showed that researchers were able to predict the outcome of female cross-country athletes, not by comparing their training, or confidence, but by comparing their hope scores!
This research doesn’t discount how important ability is…
but it does highlight how hope can supercharge your ability and make you a winner! Throw in a little wisdom from Dwight Shrute and you’ve got the picture…
but it does highlight how hope can supercharge your ability and make you a winner! Throw in a little wisdom from Dwight Shrute and you’ve got the picture…Hope And Physical Healing
If you’ve read Anatomy of an Illness or watched Patch Adams, you’ve witnessed how hope can have a dramatic impact on healing and survival in patients. I witnessed the power of hope many time as a nurse, but one particular patient stands out in my mind. She was a beautiful 65-year-old woman who was a former ballerina. I first met her in the ICU where she was fighting for her life because she had been given the wrong medication. She had a captivating smile and sweet disposition even though she wasn’t expected to live. I was surprised to see her several weeks later when she was readmitted. She remembered me and laughed as she told me that apparently, God wasn’t finished with her yet. Unfortunately the overdose had left her paralyzed and bed bound. She had lost all bladder and bowel control and was now facing a lifetime of having to be cared for by someone else. But in her cheery way she said, “It’s not so bad. I have a wonderful caregiver, my kids say it’s their turn to change my diaper, and now I have all day to practice my painting. Who knows, maybe I will become a famous artist!”
Although hope is not a panacea and needs more research, the current findings show that hope can be a powerful additive – a psychological super-charge – to your mental, physical, and emotional well-being and success.
Hopeful people seem to use many of the same hope enhancing strategies…why not try a few of them this week?
Hopeful people:
- Don’t deny their problems but believe that they have the capacity to find a way around them.
- Set achievable goals and celebrate when they achieve them.
- Don’t quit, but find alternative ways to win.
- When forced to change their goals, they rally and find meaning in their new goal.
- Practice gratitude by focusing on what they have instead of what they have lost.
Practicing these strategies can fuel your internal motivation and provide the necessary spark to carry you forward despite your obstacles. I love what Samuel Smiles said about hope: “Hope is the companion of power, and mother of success; for who so hopes strongly has within him the gift of miracles.” This week I am going to challenge myself to intentionally work on raising my hopefulness score… and expect more miracles!
This holiday season, may you hear hope’s small whisper and release its power in your life!
Photo Credits:
Advent Candle Lighting: Photo via Salzburgchurch.com
The Office Meme: Photo via Quickmeme.com