Musk is a master showman, and every time he does an act about an underground car tunnel in Los Angeles or bulletproof electric pickup trucks, there is the same reaction: Some people say he is making amazing and life-changing innovations. You could see that in reactions to Musk’s flashy demonstration on Friday of brain-implanted computer chips that he hopes may someday help combat serious health conditions like strokes and spinal cord injuries. Both “The Circle” and “Iron Man” encompass some form of reality, but it’s easy to see technology as either one or the other. Those downers sometimes drown out the ways that we know technology has made many of our lives immeasurably better.

He didn’t put it quite this way, but I imagined he wanted less fiction like “ The Circle,” about a surveillance-state corporate cult, and more like “ Iron Man,” in which a tech nerd cobbles together a suit that saves his life and gives him superhero powers. Sriram Krishnan, a technology executive whom I respect, tweeted a few days ago asking for more optimistic descriptions in movies and television of people building technology. I’ve been thinking about this gray zone because of two things: a tweet and Elon Musk. I know nuance is rare these days, but please join me in the vast zone of complexity between “wow, cool!” and “that won’t work” or “that’s evil!” I want to live in those shades of gray. When I consider something new bubbling up in technology, I have vowed not to get overly excited about either its potential benefits or its downsides. I recently made a promise to myself, and I would like you to join me. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays. Conversely, the LH mediation of an active mode and the positive feedback it receives through its motor dexterity breed a sense of confidence in one's ability to manage life's challenges, and optimism about the future.Ĭerebral lateralization depression embodied cognition handedness hemispheric asymmetry laterality optimism pessimism.This article is part of the On Tech newsletter.

The RH mediation of a watchful and inhibitive mode weaves a sense of insecurity that generates and supports pessimistic thought patterns. This hemispheric asymmetry in mediating optimistic and pessimistic outlooks is rooted in several biological and functional differences between the two hemispheres. In contrast, a gloomy viewpoint, an inclination to focus on the negative part and exaggerate its significance, low self-esteem as well as a pessimistic view on what the future holds are interlinked with neurophysiological processes in the right-hemisphere (RH). High self-esteem, a cheerful attitude that tends to look at the positive aspects of a given situation, as well as an optimistic belief in a bright future are associated with physiological activity in the left-hemisphere (LH). A review and synthesis of the literature on the neurophysiology subserving these two worldviews suggests that optimism and pessimism are differentially associated with the two cerebral hemispheres. Undue pessimism makes life miserable however, excessive optimism can lead to dangerously risky behaviors. Our survival and wellness require a balance between optimism and pessimism.

Optimism and pessimism