Best of the Archives: The Science of Hope | Jacqueline Mattis

How does hope work? 

In this episode from the archives, Rutgers University clinical psychologist Dr. Jacqueline Mattis discusses hope from a scientific perspective and how we can cultivate it. 

Dr. Mattis, who is also a Dean of faculty at Rutgers, did not start her career wanting to study hope. She started out studying spirituality and religiosity, specifically doing a lot of field work and interviews in African-American and Afri-Caribbean urban communities. She wanted to know why people living under high stress conditions so often choose to be good and compassionate. And that research ultimately led her to hope.

In this episode we talk about: 

• How her family history influenced her relationship to optimism and faith 
• The difference between spirituality and religiosity 
• The benefits of hope and skills to cultivate it
• The ways hope can go wrong
• And the benefits of denial

Where to find Jacqueline Mattis online: 

Website: Rutgers Profile

Other Resources Mentioned:

• The Greek myth, Pandora’s Box
• Tina, the documentary about Tina Turner
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Loving Your Enemies” sermon
• Joseph Goldstein, “Here, Now, Aware: The Power of Mindfulness”