Turning to hope without turning away from the bad
Imagine you have a magic wand, and with it, two choices: you can either use it to fight against the bad—things like violence and crime—or to nurture the good, like harmony and peace. Which would you choose?
I ask this question to my Science of Wellbeing students on our first day together. The responses are almost evenly split. But when I ask for their rationale, one response for choosing to fight the bad comes up frequently: they believe there's more bad than good in the world.
Spend just ten minutes on the news or scrolling through social media, and it’s hard not to feel that way. War, racism, abuse, and deception seem to fill every corner.
I’ve noticed this feeling echoed even on LinkedIn lately. It’s all too easy to come across stories about toxic workplaces, manipulative bosses, and unsupportive colleagues.
Yes, darkness exists. Some people do commit terrible acts. But are these actions the norm in every area and for every population?
I don’t think so. And the numbers back me up.
Research from a university in the US found that most instances of discrimination on campus were committed by a small minority of individuals. In Sweden, only 1% of the (Swedish) population is accountable for 63 % of all violent crime convictions. And only 2% of doctors are responsible for 39% of malpractice cases.
These figures remind us that what we see every day doesn’t reflect the full picture. Most people are good. The actions of a few should never overshadow the inherent goodness in the majority.
So, why do we fall into this trap?
For one, media—driven by fear and sensationalism—keep us fixated on humanity’s worst traits. It’s like staring into a funhouse mirror, where everything bad is exaggerated and distorted. Our attention is pulled towards the shocking and the drama. This constant stream of negativity distorts our perception, making us believe that cruelty, corruption, and chaos are what define us. It has conditioned us to believe that humanity is broken, hatred is the dominant force, love is rare, and compassion is an exception.
It’s no coincidence that this negativity serves the interests of news outlets, social media platforms, and big tech. A study showed that negative emotions were expressed more than the positive ones on platforms like Twitter, with negativity—rather than positivity—acting as a predictor for engagement with tweets from news organisations. The more negative, the more attention it gets.
What’s more, goodness can feel almost unreal, like a fairy tale, while the presence of bad feels more concrete, more realistic. We worry that focusing on it means turning a blind eye to real issues. That it might weaken our resolve for change. Or make us passive in the face of injustice.
Now, if you've been following my work, you already know I'm not a fan of the overly positive, wishy-washy stuff. I frequently discuss the importance of discomfort, how negative emotions fuel the fight for justice, how complaining can spark change, and how conflict can actually strengthen connections. The science behind the utility of seemingly negative emotions and behaviours is real.
But believing in the inherent goodness of people—and recognizing that positive actions far outweigh the negative—doesn’t mean ignoring the real issues. Goodness is not only real, but it exists in abundance, and it benefits us to see it. We need to recognise the biases that blind us to this reality, actively seek out and amplify the good, and refuse to let the narrative of evil overshadow it.
It’s possible to acknowledge goodness without losing our drive for change. We can see what’s right in the world without turning away from injustice. In fact, striking this balance between recognising the good and pushing for progress is not only possible—it’s sustainable.
And the key is hope.
How to turn to hope without turning away from the bad
Hope isn’t just a buzzword. It doesn’t solely belong to motivational speeches or poetry. There’s real science behind it.
So, what is hope?
It’s the motivation to achieve goals and the means to reach them. In this sense, hope is active. Hopeful individuals don’t sit back and wait for circumstances to change; they make change happen. They focus on the potential for good. They believe their efforts can make a difference while maintaining a balanced view that acknowledges the bad yet works actively toward the good.
What I value about hope is how it strikes a balance between resignation and blind optimism. When we dwell exclusively on the bad and feel powerless to influence change, we fall into resignation. Blind optimism—believing everything will magically work out—leads to inaction too. Neither is productive.
Hope is the middle ground. It allows us to see things as they are, without being consumed by despair, and to remain motivated to create positive change, without losing touch with reality.
While the world may seem broken, hope is what keeps you going. It motivates the cancer patient to try another treatment, drives the student to work harder, and inspires communities to rally and rebuild after disasters.
Holding onto hope is tough. After all, we’re surrounded by fractured systems, where families, communities, and societies seem broken beyond repair. Some challenges can’t be tackled by individual effort alone; we need better systems and stronger communities. But we still have choices each day to reclaim some control. Focusing solely on what we can’t change deepens despair and leads to inaction. If we want to see more goodness in humanity and the world, we have a responsibility to believe in ourselves, pursue our values, uplift those around us, and build supportive communities.
As a humanistic-existential therapist, I’m inspired by thinkers like Carl Rogers, Rollo May, Abraham Maslow, and Erich Fromm. They believed that people are naturally inclined toward goodness, but life’s challenges can sometimes push us off course. When we’re stuck in situations that harm our sense of self or make us feel trapped, we might lose sight of our values. But when we start seeing the world through this lens, it becomes easier to notice the goodness that’s always been there.
To foster more hope and recognise the goodness in the world, try these suggestions—maybe cheesy, but undeniably effective:
Seek the truth: Get informed about who really commits crimes and the goodness happening globally. Look for facts, like the statistics I shared, to counterbalance the negative narratives.
Look back at your goals: Hope is closely tied to setting and striving for goals. Take some time to think about goals you’ve achieved in the past and the satisfaction you felt while working toward them. Remembering your progress and the joy in the journey can reignite your sense of hope.
Surround yourself with some goodness: Make a conscious effort to expose yourself to the goodness happening around you. Follow pleasant news sources, engage in uplifting conversations, or participate in community activities that celebrate human kindness and progress.
Celebrate humanity's resilience: Remind yourself of humanity’s remarkable ability to solve complex problems. From medical advancements to social progress, history is rich with examples of how collective efforts have led to meaningful improvements.
But hope can also be counterproductive in driving change in certain areas. For instance, researchers compared the effect of optimistic messages that highlight progress in curbing carbon emissions to more pessimistic ones that emphasise ongoing challenges. They found that while optimistic messages raised hope, they also reduced people’s perception of climate change risks and lessened their distress. This, in turn, led to lower motivation to engage in mitigation efforts.
In another study, exploring the reasons behind women's support for socio-economic systems that historically disadvantage them, researchers showed that women who strongly identified with their gender group supported socio-economic systems that favoured men, especially when they were hopeful about future improvements in gender equality.
So, hope needs to be grounded in action. Here's how to keep hope from leading to passivity:
Stay grounded in urgency: When facing inequalities or injustices, hope needs to be paired with a sense of urgency. Don’t let hope make you complacent. Remind yourself that the issues are real, and action is needed. Balance your hope with the awareness that change requires effort.
Make hope actionable: To keep hope from turning into wishful thinking, combine it with a belief in your ability to make a difference. It’s not just about believing in a better future—it’s about believing you can be part of creating it. This sense of agency is what turns hope into motivation.
Turn negative emotions into purpose: If you find yourself feeling complacent or resigned, harness your anger, frustration, or disappointment as fuel to propel you into action.
In every role I hold—therapist, researcher, lecturer, and writer—I feel a strong responsibility to nurture hope by highlighting the goodness in people. Journalists and reporters, too, have a duty to balance the narrative, showing not only what’s wrong but also what’s right. Hope is one of the most powerful gifts that leaders, newsmakers, and influencers can offer to the world. But this doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to the darker aspects of humanity. We also have a responsibility to confront and address the evil that exists, to see it, discuss it, and report it for the sake of humanity. Yet, in doing so, we must strive for balance, ensuring that the light is not overshadowed by the darkness and vice versa.
Hope, ultimately, should be more than just an idea or a fleeting feeling; it must be a call to action. It’s not meant to gloss over real problems or deny the risks we face.
As the American writer Rebecca Solnit said, “Hope is only a beginning; it’s not a substitute for action, only a basis for it.”