A deep dive into the power and science of optimism that will change the way you think for good

A GUARDIAN 'BOOK TO READ IN 2025'

'A truly inspirational and beautiful book with a powerful and timely message for today's society' - JIM AL-KHALILI

Optimism, irrational though it might be, is central to the human psyche: it seems to give us an advantage both in everyday life and in the evolutionary race.

What does Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition have in common with the chicken that crossed the road? Or James Baldwin's campaign for civil rights with the development of AI? Or even Crossrail and George Bush's 'mission accomplished'?

The Bright Side makes a vital and transformative new argument: that optimism is not only the natural state of humanity, but an essential one. Without optimism we would never have survived the unpredictable - and often hostile - world we evolved into. Yet optimism is not reserved for times of extremity. Its benefits manifest throughout our everyday lives: our relationships, careers, bodies and minds. And it will play a critical role in overcoming the challenges of the twenty-first century.

In this book, astrophysicist-turned-journalist Sumit-Paul Choudhury offers practical suggestions on what it really takes to be an optimist today and, in doing so, provides a powerful manifesto for hope and a much-needed new perspective on our prospects. He shows how, by embracing action, imagination and possibility, we can find a path to the bright side, even - perhaps especially - when the future seems dark.

Both realistic and revolutionary, The Bright Side is a guidebook for troubled times that will make you re-evaluate your habits and outlook.

Details

ISBN13: 9781838859237
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 288
Edition: Export/Airside - Export/Airside/Ireland
Publication Date: 08 Apr 2025
Publisher: Canongate Books
Publication City, Country: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 24(H)x15.9(L)x2.2(W)368
Weight (gm): 368

Author Biography

Sumit Paul-Choudhury is an astrophysicist-turned-journalist, former editor-in-chief of New Scientist magazine and has served as a judge for the Baillie Gifford Prize (then Samuel Johnson Prize), the Wellcome Prize and the Costa Book Awards. The Bright Side is his first book.

@sumit | paulchoudhury.com

Reviews

'I was left wondering how much humanity would change for the better if everyone read this book. Unlike the plethora of self-help publications full of their clichéd soundbites, Paul-Choudhury has written a truly inspirational and beautiful book with a powerful and timely message for today's society'
JIM AL-KHALILI, author and broadcaster

'Sumit Paul-Choudhury transforms optimism from a soft-hearted notion into a hard-headed advantage. The Bright Side makes optimism rigorous, challenging us to see it as a disciplined, effective way to tackle the world's toughest challenges'
DANIEL H. PINK, #1 New York Times bestselling author of DRIVE and THE POWER OF REGRET

'I truly loved The Bright Side! It is both intelligent and erudite yet also accessible and warm. The range of examples and examples of pessimism pitfalls will be helpful to all'
CATHY RENTZENBRINK, author of THE LAST ACT OF LOVE

'With our fashion for cynicism, it's all too easy to believe the worst in ourselves and the world around us. In The Bright Side, Sumit Paul-Choudhury provides the perfect antidote to this defensive pessimism. With a lightness of touch, he deftly melds science, philosophy and culture to build a convincing case for optimism. I left this book feeling energised and empowered'
DAVID ROBSON, author of THE EXPECTATION EFFECT

'This moving, insightful argument for optimism stands up against the cynical mood of the twenty-first century, challenging - and equipping - the reader to help create a better world'
DR MICHAEL BROOKS, author of THE ART OF MORE

'The next few years are some of the most important in human history. The problems we face are huge, and can feel overwhelming, but it is vital that we don't fall into what Sumit Paul-Choudhury calls the pessimism trap - the sense that all is lost and there's no point struggling. This book brilliantly shows the way out. Both personal and universal, interwoven with examples from literature, history and modern science, this book shows us how to find within us fierce imagination and determined hope, and create a better future'
ROWAN HOOPER, author of SUPERHUMAN

'I love this book so much! The Bright Side is a thrilling and galvanising ride. The optimism Paul-Choudhury describes is not just for the self-help aisle - it is a societal engine for creating the best of all possible worlds. This book is nothing less than a set of operating instructions for a better future'
SALLY ADEE, author of WE ARE ELECTRIC

'The Bright Side makes a compelling case for optimism. Psychological science shows that optimism is up to us, an existential choice. The facts of our external world, however, do not compel optimism, and Paul-Choudhury in a masterful historical review finds that it is the optimists who change the external world for the better while the realists passively accept their lot. I went away from this book inspired and enriched'
MARTIN E. P. SELIGMAN, bestselling author of LEARNED OPTIMISM and FLOURISH

'Optimists believe problems can be solved - and we could sure use some optimism right now. Sumit Paul-Choudhury's dazzling The Bright Side lights the way'
GREGG EASTERBROOK, author of THE PROGRESS PARADOX

'Paul-Choudhury showed impressive courage after his young wife's death, vowing to map the intellectual and psychological underpinnings of optimism. We are the beneficiaries of his tenacity. In lucid, lively, never highfalutin prose he brings onstage such characters as Odysseus, Oedipus, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Helen Keller, each of whom has a vital lesson to impart. The book's conclusion: not only is optimism rational, it is a twenty-first century necessity. The Bright Side is a tonic for our times'
MEREDITH WADMAN, author of THE VACCINE RACE

'Many books on optimism take an individualist approach; The Bright Side is altogether more ambitious: this is a guide for civilisation. Combining evidence-based, intellectual rigour with moving, personal experience, this book argues that optimism is no less than a collective duty for humanity, requiring courage, cooperation and imagination. This book is wise about the lessons of the past, clear-sighted about the challenges of the present, and hopeful about the possibilities of tomorrow. In its pages, the best of all possible worlds awaits. Pessimist readers will be disappointed - but they probably expected that'
RICHARD FISHER, author of THE LONG VIEW

'The Bright Side is a still, small voice of calm in a culture hijacked by apocalyptic thinking and regimented behaviour. Paul-Choudhury reminds us that optimism matters, not because it is good for us (although it is), but because it is the only possible moral stance we can take to a life we none of us asked for. In a world where solutions only generate more problems, we desperately need to reframe our plight on this planet. The Bright Side is a generous and charming invitation to the future'
SIMON INGS, author of THE WEIGHT OF NUMBERS

'In a spellbinding tour de force from effective altruism to AI, from the quantum multiverse to climate change, Paul-Choudhury has crafted an expansive and convincing argument of why building a better future demands that we believe in it first. An urgent call to arms to choosing change over doom, action over despair, optimism over hope'
PROFESSOR ROBERTO TROTTA, astrophysicist and author of STARBORN