Phone Service Interruption Notice – FOR EXISTING PATIENTS ONLY
We are currently experiencing intermittent issues with our phone system and apologize for any inconvenience.
If you are unable to reach us by phone, please email connect@amenclinics.com and put the clinic you are trying to get ahold of in the subject line. One of our Patient Care Coordinators will respond as soon as possible.
TL;DR
Hope is not just a feeling. New research suggests it may be linked to measurable patterns in brain function, particularly in areas related to resilience, motivation, and emotional regulation.
Brain SPECT imaging helps reveal how these patterns show up in real time, offering insight into how the brain supports hopeful thinking. While hope is not a treatment on its own, strengthening it through daily habits and mindset shifts can support better mental health and how the brain is working overall.
Medically reviewed by Rish Sood, MD, Amen Clinics
Being hopeful is more than just a positive mindset. Research suggests that hope and the brain are powerfully connected, influencing both success and resilience in life.
Hope plays a key role in healing. It helps people stay strong during difficult times, keep moving forward, and take meaningful steps toward feeling better.
But what is hope, and where does it come from?
Preliminary research suggests that hope may be built into your brain’s wiring. The findings from recent research led by Dr. Daniel Amen indicate that hope is not just emotional. It may also be biological and connected to measurable patterns of brain function.
Using brain imaging tools like SPECT, which measure blood flow and activity, researchers are beginning to see how hope is linked to activity in key brain regions. This is changing how we think about mental health. Instead of viewing hope as abstract or optional, it may be an essential part of how the brain supports resilience, motivation, and recovery.
In this blog, you’ll learn what hope means from a brain health perspective, what SPECT imaging can reveal, and how a simple shift in thinking can help support hope and resilience in your brain.
Hope and brain function are closely linked – Hope may be an essential part of how the brain supports resilience, motivation, and recovery.
In recent years, mental health experts started seeing hope as a psychological strength that shapes how individuals cope, adapt, and move forward in life. Now, researchers are trying to find the link between hope and the brain, exploring if measurable brain activity can be observed through this mindset. This new focus is bridging the gap between neuroscience and emotional experience.
Studies show that stronger resilience and better well-being are closely connected to higher levels of hope. People with greater hope tend to manage their stress better, bounce back from their difficulties quickly, and stay focused on their future.
Higher hope also helps in reducing levels of distress and anxiety. This shows that hope plays a big role in how individuals handle challenges and maintain mental health.
This raises an important question in neuroscience and mental health research: Can hope be measured in the brain?
Dr. Amen’s new research suggests the answer may be yes. The 2026 study, currently in preparation, examined psychological hope in more than 6,000 adults using brain SPECT imaging and cognitive assessments. The scans suggest that hope may be linked to measurable patterns of brain blood flow and activity in key areas of the brain.
Rather than being tied to a single brain region, hope appears to reflect activity across multiple interconnected systems. Lower levels of hope were associated with reduced blood flow in key areas involved in cognitive control, emotional regulation, motivation, and decision-making, including the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and prefrontal regions.
These findings suggest that hope is supported by coordinated brain activity across large-scale networks responsible for self-control, resilience, and future-oriented thinking. In other words, hope may be a biologically grounded capacity that plays a meaningful role in mental health and recovery.
Different types of medical brain imaging provide specific kinds of data depending on what information a medical doctor needs. While some types of imaging look at brain structure (anatomy), others reveal how the brain is working (function) at any given time.
SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging is designed to focus on how an individual’s brain functions. It captures patterns of blood flow and observes activity in different regions of the brain in real time.
Alternatively, imaging such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) mainly focus on the structure of the brain. These forms of imaging are effective for discovering physical issues like tumors, abnormalities, or injuries. But they do not capture how the brain is working day to day.
When it comes to understanding complex mental health conditions, imaging like SPECT becomes critically important. It shows what is actually happening in the brain, which can be linked to mental health symptoms.
Brain perfusion refers the passage of blood through the circulatory system to the brain, providing essential oxygen and nutrients. SPECT imaging reveals the patterns of brain perfusion. Perfusion is important because of the close relationship between brain activity and blood flow. There is need for more blood in more active brain regions and on the contrary, less active areas receive less blood.
When SPECT scans measure perfusion, they provide clues on which regions of the brain are functioning properly, regions that may be overactive, and areas of underactivity. That helps to create clarity on overall brain health.
SPECT imaging provides another layer of important data beyond noting symptoms. When combined with a patient’s results from neurobiological testing, and their detailed personal health history (accounting for lifestyle factors, prior brain injuries, and biological factors), it serves as a critical component in making more accurate diagnoses and informing tailored treatment plans.
A cornerstone of using brain SPECT imaging in the context of mental health is the understanding that mental health is brain health.
At Amen Clinics, healthy perfusion or dysfunction in certain regions of the brain, observed in SPECT scans, has been linked to mental well-being or mental health symptoms. These associations are based on our clinicians’ experience over decades treating more than 100,000 patients and performing close to 300,000 SPECT scans.
When care is based on symptoms only, it can involve trial and error. In some cases, it can lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.
However, looking at the patterns SPECT reveals, in addition to symptoms and clinical assessments, provides another layer of insights that allows clinicians to better understand what could be contributing to an individual’s symptoms. This can make a huge difference in diagnosis and outcomes.
Preliminary research found that the addition of brain SPECT imaging in complex mental health cases was associated with significantly improved patient outcomes. In another study, adding SPECT to traditional psychiatric evaluations changed the diagnosis and/or treatment plan in 79 percent of cases.
When a psychologist talks to you about hope, they generally are not referring to blind optimism or wishful thinking. More often, they speak of hope as a structured mental concept that is essential for motivation and growth.
This concept shapes how you respond to challenges, think about the future, and also stay engaged even when things become difficult. Psychological hope may be quiet, but it plays a powerful role in the way people navigate setbacks, stress, and recovery.
Many people think hope simply means “staying positive,” but it’s much more than that. In psychology, hope is built on two key components: agency and pathways.
Agency is the belief that you can move forward. It reflects the idea that your actions matter and can create real change. Pathways refer to your ability to find ways to reach your goals, even when challenges or setbacks arise.
Together, these elements create a mindset that is both motivated and grounded in reality. Hope is not about pretending everything will work out or ignoring what is difficult. It is about believing there is a way forward and trusting that you can take the steps to find it.
One of the key reasons why it’s important to be hopeful is that hope is considered transdiagnostic, meaning it influences a variety of mental health issues and not just a single diagnosis.
Whether you are dealing with depression, chronic stress, or anxiety, hope can influence how you cope or respond.
Lower levels of hope can make it difficult for you to manage your emotions, stay motivated, and maintain a sense of connection. On the other hand, higher levels of hope are connected to better emotional regulation, stronger resilience, and a greater ability to persist through difficulties.
Similar to associations found between brain dysfunction and mental health symptoms, these recent findings are showing clearly how measurable brain functions are related to psychological hope. The research looks at how this hope connects to brain activity patterns and what it might mean for mental health and thinking abilities.
The new research study found that higher levels of hope were associated with healthier perfusion in brain networks involved in motivation, emotional regulation, and decision-making. This suggests that individuals with greater hope may have visible healthy brain activity in areas supporting emotional balance, goal-driven behavior, and focus. Lower hope, in contrast, was linked to reduced activity in these same systems and poorer outcomes in mood, thinking, and self-control.
Psychological hope may be a measurable marker of brain activity patterns linked to resilience and cognitive performance across psychiatric conditions.
These findings suggest that hope is something greater than an optimistic mindset. It may reflect how well key brain systems are working together, offering new insight into how mindset and brain health are connected.
It is important to interpret these findings carefully. Hope alone cannot replace treatment or resolve mental health problems. These findings suggest that hope reflects brain processes that can be supported in established care.
It’s possible that mental health treatment plans may benefit from supporting the brain systems linked to hope, alongside addressing areas of dysfunction associated with mental health symptoms.
Hope does not only shape how you feel. It also influences your way of thinking, how you respond to challenges, and how you stay engaged in difficult times. Research has suggested that hope is connected with patterns of thinking and behavior that support both emotional resilience and cognitive health.
A key feature of hope is that it allows individuals to see possible routes forward. People who are feeling hopeful are more likely to perceive challenges as problems they can work through, instead of challenges with no solution.
That is a reflection of what psychologists refer to as pathways thinking. Research identifies it as the ability to see possible routes toward a given goal, even as the obstacles arise, especially in the context of making positive, lifestyle-related behavior changes.
On the other hand, when there is low or no hope, the thinking of the affected individual becomes more rigid and narrow, which makes it harder for them to identify next steps or alternatives. This can lead to getting “stuck.”
Usually, a person with high levels of hope is more likely to remain engaged, adjust their approach, and keep moving forward even in the midst of setbacks. That pattern is connected to the ability to recover and adapt (resilience).
Better Hope May Support Better Mental Performance
According to research, hope may be closely connected to better emotional regulation, self-control, and overall mental functioning. Although it’s not a quick fix, hope can offer support to the brain systems that are involved in focus, decision-making, and managing emotions every day.
We can all use more hope. The question is, how do you build hope?
The easiest way to strengthen hope is to flip the way you respond to thoughts that are difficult. For example, try asking yourself, “What next step can I take to support my brain today?” rather than “What if nothing happens?”
This shifts attention away from uncertainty and fear to action that seems doable in the moment.
It also matches the physiologic theory of hope discussed earlier about pathways and agency. Again, pathway is the ability to move forward in different ways, while agency means that you believe you can take action.
The practical mindset described above works because it divides hope into workable steps that are simple.
All that involves is first identifying a realistic and clear goal. This is followed by considering one path that is possible for that goal. Last, it requires taking an action that will move you forward, even if it is small.
When this is done, hope becomes more about activating your brain to work through difficulties and less about holding on to circumstances to change.
Over time, this mindset and action help support more flexible thinking in stressful times, build confidence, and reinforce motivation. This makes hope an active habit your brain can use each day.
Here’s a recap of the three-step hope practice:
Here’s the great news: hope is not something a person either has or doesn’t have. You can strengthen hope through daily habits meant to support your daily function.
Here are seven reliable ways to strengthen hope:
These are not quick fixes. Hope is built slowly with these practices, step by step, day after day, over time.
We can all have moments of feeling hopeless. However, if you are persistently feeling hopeless for more than a week or two, it’s an indicator that you may need more support.
In many cases, hopelessness is linked to issues like depression, trauma, anxiety, ongoing stress, burnout, and even other brain-related problems. These conditions may affect how your brain handles motivation, mood, and outlook.
It’s important to note that struggling with feeling hopeful is not a personal weakness; it’s usually a sign that something deeper needs attention and care. If you are feeling hopeless, it can be helpful to ask yourself what might be influencing your physical and mental well-being.
Poor sleep, past experiences, underlying health issues, and high stress are factors that may affect you. Understanding this can help you to stop blaming yourself and seek the right support.
Discussions about mental health usually begin with how someone feels. An individual might report symptoms such as anxiety, trouble concentrating, low mood, mood swings, or unexplained aches.
However, at Amen Clinics, we believe there’s more happening beneath the surface that can be explored. Our clinicians take a whole-body approach to care. In a comprehensive evaluation, they collect a full range of data to get a clear sense of what is happening in your brain and body.
Data from brain SPECT imaging, neuropsychological testing, and a detailed personal history help our clinicians identify underlying causes of symptoms, such as hopelessness, and provide more effective and personalized treatment.
If you are a patient who receives care for symptoms like low mood, difficulty focusing, or anxiety, these common symptoms overlap across several different mental health conditions. They can also stem from a variety of underlying causes. Through the lens of brain health, SPECT imaging shows that these similar symptoms can be a reflection of many types of underlying brain dysfunction.
SPECT imaging helps clinicians to examine brain function by measuring blood flow and activity patterns. It reveals areas that may be working well and other areas that show dysfunction and may require support. SPECT scans help clinicians to understand the potential contributing factors better.
Clinicians who have a clearer picture of the way the brain is working are better able to make accurate diagnoses and provide more personalized care. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all method, care can be tailored to meet the needs of the individual. That aligns with a broader focus on whole-person care and precision.
Hope is a vital part of how the brain responds to life challenges and stress naturally. When individuals feel hopeful, it can show that the brain is working in ways that help it solve problems, keep moving forward, and stay steady even in hard circumstances.
While hope won’t solve a mental health condition, it can play a significant role in supporting your overall well-being. If hope is stronger, it can help your brain be adaptable and better able to cope with problems. This makes strengthening hope one helpful and important part of mental balance and healing.
At Amen Clinics, clinicians examine how the brain works alongside overall physical health. They use tools like SPECT scans to get a deeper comprehension of what might be affecting your behavior, thinking patterns, and mood. If you’ve been experiencing a hard time without an obvious explanation, then examining brain activity with imaging like SPECT may help reveal root causes.
Studies suggest that hope can be linked with measurable brain function patterns. However, the research is evolving, and there’s a need for more studies to fully understand how hope is represented in the brain.
Hope is about being motivated to move forward and also being able to see the possible pathways toward a goal. On the other hand, optimism is a more general expectation that things might turn out well.
SPECT scans (Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography) show patterns of blood flow and activity in the brain. They differ from scans such as the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) or CT (Computed Tomography), which focus more on brain structure.
Building hope can support coping, resilience, and engagement with treatment. That said, it’s not a replacement for professional support, particularly if someone is undergoing significant mental health issues.
If the feelings of hopelessness become overwhelming, persistent, or start to interfere with your daily life, it might be time to seek professional help. Early help may provide support, guidance, and strategies to move forward.e.
Feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we provide personalized, science-backed treatment plans designed to target the root causes of your symptoms. Our 360-approach includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical evaluations, innovative therapeutic techniques, medications (when necessary), and holistic lifestyle recommendations to promote the health of your brain, body, and mind. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.
Keator, D. B., Salgado, F., Imbre, N., Murray, S., & Amen, D. (2026). Psychological hope as a transdiagnostic marker of brain function and cognitive capacity in psychiatry. (In preparation for publication.)
Abstract: Psychological hope is a core cognitive–motivational construct associated with resilience, treatment engagement, and long-term mental health outcomes. Despite its clinical relevance, the neurobiological systems supporting hope remain poorly characterized, particularly in large and clinically diverse populations. Here, we examined neural and cognitive–emotional correlates of dispositional hope in 6,408 adults undergoing clinical neuroimaging and assessment.
Participants completed the Adult Hope Scale as part of routine clinical evaluation, underwent perfusion-based single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) during rest and a sustained attention task, and completed a comprehensive computerized cognitive–emotional assessment battery. Whole-brain analyses evaluated associations between hope and cerebral perfusion while controlling for demographic and clinical factors, alongside behavioral analyses of cognitive–emotional functioning.
Lower psychological hope was associated with widespread reductions in cerebral perfusion across salience, valuation, and cognitive control networks, including bilateral insula, anterior cingulate cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, and ventromedial orbitofrontal regions. These effects were present across both resting and task conditions and were more pronounced during cognitive engagement. Lower hope was also associated with reduced self-control, diminished resilience capacity, poorer cognitive performance, impaired mood regulation, and weaker social connectivity.
Together, these findings indicate that hope is associated with a coherent neurocognitive profile reflecting engagement of large-scale brain systems critical for motivation, regulation, and future-oriented cognition. The results support hope as a biologically grounded, transdiagnostic construct with potential utility for clinical assessment, treatment planning, and intervention development in psychiatry.
Duggal, D., Sacks-Zimmerman, A., & Liberta, T. (2016). The impact of hope and resilience on multiple factors in neurosurgical patients. Cureus, 8(10). doi: 10.7759/cureus.849
Amen DG, Jourdain M, Taylor DV, Pigott HE, Willeumier K. Multi-site six month outcome study of complex psychiatric patients evaluated with addition of brain SPECT imaging. Adv Mind Body Med. 2013 Spring;27(2):6-16. PMID: 23709407.
Amen DG, Highum D, Licata R, Annibali JA, Somner L, Pigott HE, Taylor DV, Trujillo M, Newberg A, Henderson T, Willeumier K. Specific ways brain SPECT imaging enhances clinical psychiatric practice. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2012 Apr-Jun;44(2):96-106. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2012.684615. PMID: 22880537.
José Antônio Spencer Hartmann, J., de Farias Fernandes, A. L. A., de Medeiros, A. G. A. P., de Vasconcelos, C. A. C., Pinheiro, K. S. C. B., de Amorim, L. L. L., … & Neto, M. L. R. (2018). Hope as a behavior and cognitive process: A new clinical strategy about mental health’s prevention. Medicine, 97(36), e12130. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000012130
Duncan, A. R., Jaini, P. A., & Hellman, C. M. (2021). Positive psychology and hope as lifestyle medicine modalities in the therapeutic encounter: a narrative review. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15(1), 6-13. doi: 10.1177/1559827620908255
Eugene, A. R., & Masiak, J. (2015). The neuroprotective aspects of sleep. MEDtube science, 3(1), 35. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4651462/
Hossain, M. N., Lee, J., Choi, H., Kwak, Y. S., & Kim, J. (2024). The impact of exercise on depression: how moving makes your brain and body feel better. Physical activity and nutrition, 28(2), 43. https://doi.org/10.20463/pan.2024.0015
Dasgupta, J., Furlano, J. A., Bandler, Z., Fittipaldi, S., Canty, A. J., Yasoda-Mohan, A., … & Nogueira Haas, A. (2023). Hope for brain health: impacting the life course and society. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1214014. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1214014
