INTERMEDIATE

Scientists have discovered that people who are (1) ____ optimistic about the future may have “faulty” brains. Their study, in the journal Nature Neuroscience, concluded that the reason many people always see light at the end of the (2) ____ may be because of an inability to (3) ____ deal with risk. They even say this over-optimism could have been a cause of the 2008 global financial crisis, with bankers failing to accept or see the (4) ____ of their investments. Report author Dr Tali Sharot of London’s University College analyzed brain scans (5) ____ measure the activity taking place in patients who were asked to think about their future. He found that negative predictions were ignored in the (6) ____ of optimists.

In the study, Dr Sharot gave volunteers 80 different negative situations (7) ____ from unpleasant to disastrous. These included getting divorced, (8) ____ your car stolen and developing cancer. Many of the volunteers underestimated the chances of these situations happening to them. Dr Sharot said: "The more optimistic we are, the less (9) ____ we are to be influenced by negative information about the future." He added: “Smoking kills messages don't work as people think their (10) ____ of cancer are low. The divorce rate is 50%, but people don't think it's the same for them." He also said: “Seeing the glass as half full (11) ____ than half empty can be a positive thing. It can lower stress and anxiety and be good for our health and well-(12) ____.”


answers:
1d  2b 3a 4c 5c 6b 7a 8d 9b 10d 11c 12 a

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