---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the difficulties I experienced in…"
description: "\"“One of the difficulties I experienced in trying to learn about the biology of emotions was the definition of terms...How would [Prof. Richard Davidson..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30f/jerome-groopman-23277_hope_one-of-the-difficulties-i-experienced-in_1380376.jpg"
---

#  One of the difficulties I experienced in trying to learn…

![“One of the difficulties I experienced in trying to learn about the biology of emotions was the definition of terms...How would &#91;Prof. Richard Davidson&#93;, as an experimental psychologist, deconstruct &#91;hope&#93;? &quot;I understand hope as an emotion made up of two parts: a cognitive part and an affective…” quote by Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30f/jerome-groopman-23277_hope_one-of-the-difficulties-i-experienced-in_1380376.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30f/jerome-groopman-23277_hope_one-of-the-difficulties-i-experienced-in_1380376.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30f/jerome-groopman-23277_hope_one-of-the-difficulties-i-experienced-in_1380376.jpg)

> ““One of the difficulties I experienced in trying to learn about the biology of emotions was the definition of terms...How would \[Prof. Richard Davidson\], as an experimental psychologist, deconstruct \[hope\]? "I understand hope as an emotion made up of two parts: a cognitive part and an affective part. When we hope for something, we employ, to some degree, our cognition, marshalling information and data relevant to a desired future event. If...you are suffering with a serious illness and you hope for improvement, even for a cure, you have to generate a different vision of your condition in your mind. That picture is painted in part by assimilating information about the disease and its potential treatments. "But hope also involves what I would call affective forecasting--that is, the comforting, energizing, elevating feeling that you experience when you project in your mind a positive future. This requires the brain to generate a different affective, or feeling, state than the one you are currently in.””

[Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Hope combines rational planning with uplifting feeling, guiding behavior toward desired outcomes.

**In simple terms:** Hope mixes thought and feeling.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate hopeful visions.

Themes

hope cognition emotion health

Mood

empathetic analytical

Type

psychological medical

When to use this quote

- chronic illness coping
- goal setting
- therapy
- rehabilitation

Key Concepts

dual-process theory affective forecasting

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports hopeful thinking?
- How to balance hope with realism?

A Different Perspective

Hope can create unrealistic expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affective Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affective-hope-4779868/) [Emotion Parts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion-parts-4779869/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hope Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-emotion-1298918/) [Hope Involves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-involves-4779870/) [Serious illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious-illness/) [Understand Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-hope-830790/)

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> [Hope is not an emotion; it's a way of thinking or a cognitive process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/hope-is-not-an-emotion-it-s-a-way-of-thinking-or-a-cognitive-process/)

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> [“Hope, Savage thought, probably didn’t play much of a part in his professional life because invariably there was none for the people who appeared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-sennen/hope-savage-thought-probably-didn-t-play-much-of-a-part-in-his/)

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> [“Hope does not mean that our protests will suddenly awaken the dead consciences, the atrophied souls, of the plutocrats running Halliburton, Goldman Sachs, Exxon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/hope-does-not-mean-that-our-protests-will-suddenly-awaken-the-dead/)

[Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/)

> [“The powerful do not understand hope. Hope is not part of their vocabulary. They speak in cold, dead words of national security, global markets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-bucko/the-powerful-do-not-understand-hope-hope-is-not-part-of-their/)

[Adam Bucko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-bucko/)

> [To Everyone out there I promise I will always be here, laugh at me an ill understand you, to understand me is understand life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-everyone-out-there-i-promise-i-will-always-be-here-laugh-at-me-an/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I can;t make you love me, want me, or understand me, all I can do is hope that someday you will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/i-can-t-make-you-love-me-want-me-or-understand-me-all-i-can-do-is-2/)

[Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/)

> [They say you should reach for the stars and I'd like to but my arms are much to short. They say to reach out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justice-fitzgerald/they-say-you-should-reach-for-the-stars-and-i-d-like-to-but-my-arms/)

[Justice Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justice-fitzgerald/)

> [“Despite my intellectual attempts to grasp it, I remain confounded beyond all repair to understand how God believes in us enough to choose us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/despite-my-intellectual-attempts-to-grasp-it-i-remain-confounded/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [“ She didn't understand, I hope to God she never understands what I do, what I am. To be dammed by the darkness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linnea-sinclair/she-didn-t-understand-i-hope-to-god-she-never-understands-what-i-do/)

[Linnea Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linnea-sinclair/)

> [I understand the hope of so many of the Dreamers I have had the privilege of meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-mayorkas/i-understand-the-hope-of-so-many-of-the-dreamers-i-have-had-the/)

[Alejandro Mayorkas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-mayorkas/)

> [Hopeless implies that at one time there was hope. And that's another word I don't understand. Hope only exists for people who have choices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/hopeless-implies-that-at-one-time-there-was-hope-and-that-s-another/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [I want to help people with depression understand that there is hope, so that they can get the help they need to live rich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bosley/i-want-to-help-people-with-depression-understand-that-there-is-hope/)

[Tom Bosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bosley/)

## More by Jerome Groopman

> [“Understanding statistics about the risks and benefits of a treatment is called “health literacy.” It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/understanding-statistics-about-the-risks-and-benefits-of-a-treatment/)

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> [Hope differs from optimism. Hope does not arise from being told to "think positively," or from hearing an overly rosy forecast. Hope, unlike optimism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/hope-differs-from-optimism-hope-does-not-arise-from-being-told-to/)

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> [Hope is the elevating feeling we experience when we see - in the mind's eye - a path to a better future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/hope-is-the-elevating-feeling-we-experience-when-we-see-in-the-mind-s/)

[Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/)

> [“While it is a convenient construct to divide hope into a cognitive and an affective component, the two are tightly coupled. Feelings and emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/while-it-is-a-convenient-construct-to-divide-hope-into-a-cognitive/)

[Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/)

> [“or she would choose the treatment option that the experts saw as “best,” in this case taking the medication. But in the Dartmouth study,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/or-she-would-choose-the-treatment-option-that-the-experts-saw-as-best/)

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> [Hope, true hope, has proved as important as any medication I might prescribe or any procedure I might perform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/hope-true-hope-has-proved-as-important-as-any-medication-i-might/)

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> [True hope is cleareyed. It sees all the difficulties that exist and all the potential for failure, but through that carves a realistic path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/true-hope-is-cleareyed-it-sees-all-the-difficulties-that-exist-and/)

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> [“to taking an action that could make life even worse. Psychologists call this “loss aversion.” Research in cognitive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/to-taking-an-action-that-could-make-life-even-worse-psychologists/)

[Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/)

> [Help, then, is the ballast that keeps us steady, that recognizes where along the path are the dangers and pitfalls that can throw us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/help-then-is-the-ballast-that-keeps-us-steady-that-recognizes-where/)

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[Explore all 26 Jerome Groopman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/)

## More Hope quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

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> [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/)

[Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/)

> [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/)

[Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/)

> [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Stop trying to give me hope ... I have no room left for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-f/stop-trying-to-give-me-hope-i-have-no-room-left-for-it/)

[Jenn F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-f/)

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[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/)

[Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/)

> [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/)

[Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/)

> [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/)

[Simone Abou Samra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-abou-samra/)

> [Im really happy that I met you I hope you know that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/im-really-happy-that-i-met-you-i-hope-you-know-that/)

[Im Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/im-nothing/)

> [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

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