Offline with Jon Favreau — “Optimism In Our Age of Anxiety” with Dr. Deepika Chopra

Episode Overview

On this episode of Offline with Jon Favreau (March 28, 2026), Jon sits down with Dr. Deepika Chopra, clinical psychologist and author known as “the Optimism Doctor,” to tackle the epidemic of pessimism and anxiety in the United States. Against a backdrop of constant negative news cycles, political turmoil, and internet-fueled doomscrolling, the conversation explores what optimism really means, why it’s misunderstood, and—most importantly—how it can be cultivated as a skill, not an innate trait. The discussion weaves research, personal stories, practical tools for self-regulation, and advice for maintaining hope while staying engaged in the political arena and in parenting.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State of Collective Anxiety and the Brain’s Threat Response

• Gallup Survey & America’s Low Outlook
  • Dr. Chopra opens by referencing a recent Gallup survey showing Americans at a 20-year low in their outlook for the future [00:00-00:10, 22:13-22:20].
  • The brain, faced with uncertainty, enters “threat mode,” where the amygdala is activated and worst-case scenarios fill in informational gaps.
  • Quote:

    “When you are in that mode, your brain does something out of protection... It starts filling in the gaps and it fills in the gaps with the worst case scenarios.”
    — Dr. Chopra [00:10]

2. Understanding Real Optimism vs. Stereotypes

• Optimism as a Skill, Not a Trait

  • Contrary to popular belief, optimism isn’t about blind positivity or “looking through rose-colored glasses.”
  • Dr. Chopra:

    “Optimism’s not a personality trait... It is a learned psychological skill that can be trained.” [11:30]

  • True optimism is grounded in acknowledging reality, seeing challenges as temporary, and maintaining curiosity about the future.
  • Misconceptions: “Blind optimism” (i.e., ignoring problems) and the “optimist vs. realist” binary are false dichotomies.

• Optimism, Hope, and Agency

  • Jon and Dr. Chopra distinguish between optimism (“I think things can get better”) and hope (having the agency to enact change), with Dr. Chopra suggesting that agency is central to true optimism [12:24-12:53].

  • “Real optimism...is more related to resiliency and curiosity than related to positivity.”
    — Dr. Chopra [12:53]

3. Personal Story: Applying the Principles in Crisis

• Dr. Chopra recounts her son’s rare medical diagnosis and the “cruel irony” of writing her book on optimism during this difficult period [14:26-21:40].
• Initially, she could not rely on “positive thinking” or mantras; instead, real optimism came when she embraced agency (“what is my next step?”) and practicality amidst darkness.
• Quote:

  “I had this major shift from rumination to agency... And the next step was maybe packing the hospital bag... But it sent me more into the mode of agency.”
  — Dr. Chopra [19:51]

4. How Negativity and Anxiety Are Fueled by Modern Media

• Jon and Dr. Chopra discuss how internet media is designed to trigger anxiety and “confirmation bias,” bombarding people with negative news and reinforcing worst-case thinking [23:59-25:45].

• Algorithms feed users content that matches their fears and interests, requiring conscious efforts to “retrain the algorithm”—a direct analogy for retraining the mind.

• Quote:

  “Our brains like to collect evidence to make a thought that we already feel is true, more true.” — Dr. Chopra [24:05]

5. Practical Tools for Optimism and Self-Regulation

• Boundaries with Information

  • The answer is not ignorance, but setting boundaries to avoid overwhelm and “numbness” (cynicism as a self-protective mechanism) [31:05-32:05].

• Regulation Techniques

  • 4-7-8 Breathing: Helps reset the brain’s panic mode and step off the rumination cycle [32:07].
  • Movement/Music: “Wake up and dance” as morning ritual (movement as regulation).
  • Scheduling Contained Worry: Rather than striving for worry-free existence, Dr. Chopra recommends scheduling “worry time” so it doesn’t spill throughout the day [34:58].

• Quote:

  “Anyone that promises you a life without worry is selling you snake oil. We’re going to worry. It’s part of our existence. But, like, containing it is really...an important practice.”
  — Dr. Chopra [34:58]

6. Optimism as the Foundation for Change

• Real optimism allows people to imagine something could be different; the brain doesn’t mobilize energy for solutions if it can’t envision positive change [36:16].
• Jon uses political examples (e.g., “what if there are no elections?”) to illustrate how fixation on catastrophic scenarios hinders progress—a step-by-step approach is more productive [36:36-37:46].

• “Change is only made when someone actually understands and can imagine that something can change and something better is out there.”
  — Dr. Chopra [36:16]

7. Visualizing Setbacks, Not Just Success

• Visualization isn’t just about manifesting positive outcomes but preparing for adversity and planning responses.
• Quote:

  “We also must visualize the setbacks. We must visualize what we might do when things don’t turn out our way... It’s being prepared.”
  — Dr. Chopra [38:41]

8. How to Measure and Build Your Optimism

• Dr. Chopra discusses a quiz (inspired by Martin Seligman’s research) that helps people locate themselves on a continuum of optimism and pessimism [40:40-44:49].

• Many don’t realize self-confidence and attribution styles—how you credit yourself for success or failures—are integral to optimism.

• The “Three Ps” of Optimism:

  • One "P" is Personalization: More optimistic people tend to credit themselves for good things and see setbacks as not solely their fault.

  • “People that score higher in optimism are more readily able to accept responsibility for good things...Where a lot of people, and this is where I score low, too...when something good happens, they’re like ‘Oh, it was good luck.’”
    — Dr. Chopra [43:34]

9. Parenting, Permanence & Modeling Real Optimism

• Modeling, Not Preaching

  • Kids learn optimism through observed behavior—how parents process setbacks and language about challenges [46:22-50:00].
  • Importance of avoiding “permanent” language (e.g., “I can never open pasta sauce” vs. “I can’t open this right now”).

• Repair as a Teaching Moment

  • Admitting mistakes and showing the process of repair is crucial for children to internalize optimism and resilience.
  • Discussion on communicating nuance (good/bad is not permanent; change is possible) around complex figures like Trump or narratives in children’s media [51:04-52:17].

• Quote:

  “If you are able, in the moment...you might say something differently now. And they hear that, they look at it. And so really, kids learn from modeling.”
  — Dr. Chopra [46:35]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Optimism is not about denying the dark. It’s about giving us the tools to see in it when it is dark.”
  — Dr. Chopra [38:41]

• “Once you see something, you can’t unsee it.”
  — Dr. Chopra, on shifting mindset and language [50:00]

• “My son...now at the end of writing this book, he was...approaching the last few treatments...I said to myself, wow, this should be really happy time for me. But it actually was the most anxious time because...again, it was gonna be a time where I was not doing anything.”
  — Dr. Chopra on the paradox of anxiety and agency [20:00-21:40]

• “Anyone that promises you a life without worry is selling you snake oil.”
  — Dr. Chopra [34:58]

Key Timestamps

• 00:00—10:11: Dr. Chopra explains the “threat response” in the brain, the current American mood, and her route into psychology.
• 10:11—14:26: What the research really says about optimism; optimism as a trainable skill.
• 14:26—21:40: Personal story—writing about optimism while facing her son’s health crisis.
• 22:13—24:52: Media, anxiety, and confirmation bias in doomscrolling.
• 28:55—34:01: The challenge of staying hopeful given the exposure to negative news; information boundaries.
• 32:07—34:57: Self-regulation tools: 4-7-8 breathing, music, movement, scheduling worry.
• 36:36—38:41: Visualizing setbacks; productive political action vs. paralysis.
• 40:40—45:44: Quiz on optimism, personalization, and the continuum of optimism and pessimism.
• 46:35—50:00: Parenting: Modeling optimism, language around permanence, and embracing uncertainty.
• 51:04—53:02: Teaching emotional nuance to children, especially regarding public figures and good/bad dichotomies.

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation was candid, practical, and empathetic—balancing research and real-world experience. Dr. Chopra and Jon both acknowledge how easy it is to be overwhelmed by the current climate but repeatedly return to the actionable possibility embedded in real optimism: agency, intentional boundaries, practical regulation tools, and the will to imagine a different future. This episode is especially relevant for anyone feeling burnt out, cynical, or seeking reassurance that optimism is not naivete, but a skill to be built, refined, and modeled for the next generation.

For more: Dr. Chopra’s book “The Power of Real Optimism” delves deeper into the science and practice discussed in this episode.