The Power of Real Optimism: A Practical, Science-Based Guide to Staying Resilient, Curious, and Open Even When Life Is Hard

Optimism isn't about pretending everything is fine. It's about staying open and flexible--especially when it's not. In this fresh, science-backed debut, professional psychologist and media expert Dr. Deepika Chopra shows us how to build the kind of optimism that can actually withstand real life.

We've been sold the idea that optimism is a mood, a mindset, or worse--just an inherent trait. But what if real optimism is something else entirely?

In The Power of Real Optimism, Dr. Deepika Chopra--known as The Optimism Doctor(R)--offers a radically different definition: optimism as a science, a skill, and a psychological muscle we can strengthen. Drawing from over a decade immersed in the science of resilience, emotional well-being, and cognitive psychology--as well as her work with clients, innovative workshops, and hallmark practices (think: evidence-based visualization, narrative reframing, her signature "self-worth work," and even color therapy)--Dr. Chopra offers a toolkit for navigating the chaos, uncertainty, and nuance of being human--without losing yourself to it.

Grounded, practical, and poetic in all the right ways, this book will challenge your relationship with hope, rewire how you recover from hard things, and invite you to stay soft without falling apart. With her blend of intimate storytelling, psychological insight, and tangible tools--including a 33-day Real Optimism Challenge--Dr. Chopra offers something far more enduring than a quick fix or fleeting affirmation. She invites us into a deeper, more resilient way of living--one where we can stay curious in the face of fear, open in the face of grief, and grounded even as the world wobbles beneath us.

Because real optimism doesn't deny the dark--it teaches us how to see in it.

Author: Deepika Chopra
Publisher: S&s/Simon Element
Published: 03/10/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.30w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9781668081129


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 01/23/2026 pg. 1
Booklist 11/01/2025

About the Author
Dr. Deepika Chopra (a.k.a. the The Optimism Doctor(R)) is a professional psychologist, visual imagery expert, and founder of Things Are Looking Up(R), a consultancy devoted to the intersection of science and soul. She specializes in what she has coined "evidence-based manifestation," which draws from behavioral science, emotional fitness, neuroscience, and ancient wisdom to build modern tools for resilience and joy. Dr. Chopra holds a doctorate in clinical health psychology and completed a double postdoctoral fellowship at both the University of California at Los Angeles and Cedars Sinai Medical Center. She completed her formal dissertation on the topic of optimism, positive sensory visualization, and the connection to optimal well-being. She is a recurring guest on Today, and her work has also been featured in Forbes, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Goop, Variety, E!, and more. She has led workshops for companies like Google, Amazon, and Amex, and has delivered keynotes at events including the Aspen Ideas Festival and The Atlantic's In Pursuit of Happiness. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three young children.