Are you too optimistic? Science can fix that.

Photo: flickr/gemslingLike most people, you probably suffer from "unrealistic optimism": a tendency of healthy individuals to underestimate their likelihood of future misfortune, such as illness. Fortunately, scientists have not only figured out which part of the brain is responsible for this behavior, but they have also figured out how to stop it. Apparently, stimulating the right inferior frontal gyrus -- a region of the brain near your temple -- by flushing the left (but not right) ear with cold water made subjects much less optimistic about their risk of contracting illness in the future. You're welcome!Vestibular stimulation attenuates unrealistic optimism. "INTRODUCTION: Unrealistic optimism refers to the pervasive tendency of healthy individuals to underestimate their likelihood of future misfortune, including illness. The phenomenon shares a qualitative resemblance with anosognosia, a neurological disorder characterized by a deficient appreciation of manifest current illness or impairment. Unrealistic optimism and anosognosia have been independently associated ...