News — These are some of the questions being explored in the International Hope Barometer Research Programme, for which Professor Tharina Guse of the Department of Psychology at the University of Pretoria (UP) is South Africa’s co-principal investigator.
Global events in the recent past would not ordinarily provide fertile ground for hope to flourish. And yet, it does. What makes hope thrive, though, differs among countries and between cultures. The two countries with the highest levels of perceived hope, South Africa and Israel, endorsed different world views. For South Africans, hope is anchored in positive emotions, social relationships, the willingness to help others, religious faith and the connection to a higher power. Generally, they believe in the good. In the Israeli research sample, self-worth and believing in luck played a greater role in a hopeful mindset.
“The phenomenon of hope has been studied in several disciplines, including theology, philosophy, psychology, sociology and, more recently, economics,” Prof Guse says. “Hope is essentially about the future. It entails how we think, feel and behave in relation to the future. It concerns having a wish or a desire for one or more important outcomes, and the belief that it will be possible to reach these outcomes, even though it may be uncertain. Hope is also about trust in having the resources to attain important outcomes. These resources can be within the self (intrapersonal) or in the environment (interpersonal, community and transcendent resources).”
Research has consistently shown that higher levels of hope are linked to positive outcomes for individuals. These include higher levels of well-being, life satisfaction and positive affect.
“While the way we think has a very strong influence on hope, our research has expanded this understanding to also consider cultural and interpersonal facets of hope,” Prof Guse adds.
“In [the book] Hope Across Cultures: Lessons from the International Hope Barometer, we reported on levels of hope from several countries and discussed how world views and basic beliefs influence hope,” she says. “We also proposed a more comprehensive model to explain the phenomenon of hope. Importantly, we showed how hope mitigated the anxiety and negative psychological outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
A sample of South African participants showed that support from family and friends was the strongest source of hope. Hope is further sustained by doing good for a meaningful cause. This indicates that hope can also be generated through activities that benefit others.
We need hope in dire situations, more so than when life is going well. People who are more hopeful are more likely to view difficult situations as challenges, and experience less stress and depressive symptoms. Given current global socio-political events and concerns about the environment, it is essential to examine how people and communities can sustain hope and leverage a hopeful outlook to attain positive outcomes in the future.
“The International Hope Barometer Programme continues to examine hope, its antecedents and consequences across cultures and countries,” Prof Guse says. “Through our work, we intend to contribute to building positive future expectancies towards a more just, peaceful and sustainable world.”
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