Why doctors should look for ways to prescribe hope

Researchers are still trying to understand the connection between body and mind, and how our thoughts can influence our physiology. In the meantime, many are developing ways to harness it in hospital settings. Is it possible for a doctor to prescribe hope? Alexander Montasem, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Liverpool, is trying to find an answer to that question. In his latest study, Montasem and his colleagues focused on people with cardiovascular disease. The team reviewed all published research into the link between hope and heart health outcomes in such individuals. Hope is a pretty tricky thing to nail down, but these studies use questionnaires to try to do that. In one popular questionnaire, hope is defined as “a positive motivational state” based on having agency and plans to meet personal goals. Montasem’s team found 12 studies that fit the bill. All told, these studies included over 5,000 people. And together, they found that high hopefulness was associated wi ... Read full article.