The influence of outcome desirability on optimism
Krizan and Windschitl review the idea of a desirability bias, in which people become overly optimistic about an outcome because they want it. They describe the idea as widely accepted with limited empirical support, note that desires may sometimes reduce optimism, and distinguish the idea from motivated reasoning and general overoptimism. They set out nine possible mediational accounts of how desires could affect optimism and call for research on them.
Krizan and Windschitl review the idea of a desirability bias, in which people become overly optimistic about an outcome because they want it. They describe the idea as widely accepted with limited empirical support, note that desires may sometimes reduce optimism, and distinguish the idea from motivated reasoning and general overoptimism. They set out nine possible mediational accounts of how desires could affect optimism and call for research on them.
Written from the abstract, University of Iowa repository record and Crossref bibliographic record, 2026-11-03.
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Krizan, Z., & Windschitl, P. D. (2007). The influence of outcome desirability on optimism. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 95-121. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.95 https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.95