Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that having a high sense of hope activates happiness hormones like serotonin and dopamine in the brain, increasing a person's energy. He said, "Our brain helps us when we are hopeful. It finds solutions to crises and depression. Biologically, we are coded to be hopeful. The feeling of hope is a cognitive and mental skill for humans."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that despair and pessimism are contrary to human nature, adding, "Because even in the most difficult situations, a person who carries a ray of hope within them can find the strength to act. This increases their motivation and energy. Most importantly, the brain helps them."
Üsküdar University Founder Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluated the topic of hope and hopelessness in the program "Nevzat Tarhan ile Akla Ziyan" aired on EKOTÜRK.
Hope is not just an emotion, but "life energy"…
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that hope is not just an emotion but also a "life energy" coded into the genes of all living beings for survival, adding that hope is normal, while hopelessness is an anomaly.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan expressed that humans are programmed to be hopeful from birth but are dragged into hopelessness by learned negative thought patterns and "self-fulfilling prophecies." He said, "Even an animal continues to graze when going to a slaughterhouse because it has no future projection; it doesn't know hopelessness. Humans, on the other hand, can fall into despair because they are aware of the future and uncertainty. However, this is a learned condition."
Emphasizing that hope is more than an emotion, it is a conscious and learned mental skill, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated, "Hope is something conscious beyond an emotion; it arises as a result of mental learning. In other words, humans are beings who progress between hope and hopelessness. If our brain gets upset, we become hopeless. 'I can't succeed, everything is pointless, life is meaningless' such thoughts put the brain on the defensive and push the person into loneliness and depression."
One of the most important sources of psychological resilience is the ability to maintain a high level of hope
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that one of the most important sources of psychological resilience is the ability to maintain a high level of hope in all circumstances, adding that this skill is supported by other character strengths such as goal-oriented thinking and patience.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan expressed that one of the biggest sources of hopelessness is people's negative prejudices and "mind-reading" habits, and that individuals with rigid thinking, resistant to criticism, and stubborn close themselves off to change, emphasizing that the most important skills of the 21st century are innovation and openness to different ideas.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that we should take children as an example to preserve the feeling of hope. He said, "Even in the most hopeless environment, one can light a ray of hope for oneself. A seed waits under the ground; when conditions are met, it becomes a seedling, a tree, and bears fruit. Hope is like this."
"Intolerance to uncertainty" underlies people's most basic fears
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that "intolerance to uncertainty," which underlies people's most basic fears, is the main source of hopelessness, saying, "Humans, unlike other living beings, have a desire to control everything."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan said that sacred texts advise "trusting the divine plan," meaning submission and reliance on God. He stated that when a person tries to see the big picture by saying, "What is bad for me now might be good for me tomorrow," and puts situations they cannot control aside with "radical acceptance," uncertainty decreases, and hopelessness turns into hope.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also stated that this approach is a modern therapy method that allows a person to focus on their goals and live in the moment, instead of wasting energy on things they cannot control.
Hope is a learned mental skill
Emphasizing that hope is a learned mental skill and a character strength, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that "mental flexibility," meaning being able to think of plans B and C when plan A fails, underlies psychological resilience.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the story of Prophet Jonah should be read not so much as a story of patience, but as a story of "not falling into despair no matter what."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that some people "feed on depression" to avoid responsibility and risk, and trap themselves in a fate by saying, "I am already like this, life is bad," adding that this situation is a method of self-deception.
A hopeful person is like water…
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the 20s are "years of decision" where identity search and disappointments are frequently experienced. He said, "If the mental glasses you wear for life are black, you see everything black. A hopeful person, however, is like water; when it encounters an obstacle, it goes around it and continues its path. Water is a wonderful metaphor. Water flows, when it encounters an obstacle, it goes around it. It passes drop by drop, it goes. It becomes vapor, it returns again. In other words, a hopeful person looks at life like water. Everything in life is related to our perspective. There is the Phoenix bird. In Turkish, it is also called the Hüma bird. The Phoenix has been reborn from its ashes. We also use the metaphor of being reborn from one's ashes like the Phoenix bird in therapy."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan advised young people to take the Phoenix bird, which is reborn from its ashes, as an example. He stated, "This capacity is given to humans from birth. The darkest moments are dawn when the value of light is understood. Instead of forcing closed doors, you should search for and find open doors and proceed from there."
The feeling of hope activates happiness hormones like serotonin and dopamine in the brain
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that having a high sense of hope activates happiness hormones like serotonin and dopamine in the brain, increasing a person's energy. He said, "Our brain helps us when we are hopeful. It finds solutions to crises and depression. Biologically, we are coded to be hopeful. The feeling of hope is a cognitive and mental skill for humans. A high sense of hope also means high motivation. The first thing taught in depression treatment or career training is the expectation of recovery and the feeling of hope. In the brains of people with an expectation of recovery and a feeling of hope, happiness and pleasure-related hormones like serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins surge. Thanks to these hormones, a person's energy increases, and they mobilize themselves. A hopeful person sees obstacles not as 'obstacles' but as 'part of growth.' The perspective is entirely related to this. They describe the traumas they experience as 'developmental traumas.' They focus on the opportunity dimension of an event rather than the threat dimension. They analyze threats but primarily think, 'How can I derive an opportunity from this event I'm experiencing?' When they have this perspective, hope truly transforms into a life energy for that person."
Our brain functions like a chemistry lab, a pharmacy
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that despair and pessimism are contrary to human nature, adding, "Because even in the most difficult situations, a person who carries a ray of hope within them can find the strength to act. This increases their motivation and energy. Most importantly, the brain helps them. Our brain functions like a chemistry lab, a pharmacy. The brain of a highly hopeful person starts to produce solutions for depression or crisis. When the brain provides support, a way out is found more easily. Because we are biologically coded for this." He concluded his words.