Everyone Loves a Success Story: Optimism Inspires Conservation Engagement

In this era of unprecedented environmental change, optimism could help unite people to act. In the present article, we bring together insights from psychology, business, politics, and media to illustrate humanity’s innate attraction to optimism and the influence it can yield in driving positive change. We advocate for greater use of optimism in the communication of conservation and provide practical steps to help conservation biologists use optimism more effectively. However, to avoid denialism and remain grounded in reality we also acknowledge the need for balance between optimism and pessimism. Such balance could not only enhance public engagement with pressing environmental issues but also encourage effective collaboration among science, government, public and industry sectors to address environmental issues.