ELLEN EK, JOUKO REMES and ULLA SOVIO SOCIAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PREDICTORS OF OPTIMISM FROM INFANCY TO EARLY ADULTHOOD (Accepted 24 October 2003) ABSTRACT. The positive effects of dispositional optimism on mental and phys- ical health are well documented, but little is known about its developmental origins. The present population-based longitudinal study of young adults (n = 8673) examined predictors of optimism that were related to early childhood family conditions, school achievement in middle childhood, education, and work status in early adulthood. As theoretical starting points, previous research on other related positive psychological constructs, previous research on depression, and life span research were used. The results showed that the wantedness of the child, the father’s socioeconomic status and changes in it, school achievement, vocational education and work history predicted significantly optimism at 31 years. A good financial situation and being married were strongly associated with optimism at 31 years. KEY WORDS: attitude towards the future, cohort studies, longitudinal Optimism can be regarded as the generalized expectation of a positive outcome of future events (Scheier and Carver, 1985; Schweizer et al., 1999). Its beneficial effects on well-being are well documented: it is said to improve psychological functioning (Achat et al., 2000), effective coping with stress (Billingsley et al., 1993; Catanzaro et al., 2000), psychological well-being (e.g. Taylor and Brown, 1988; Scheier and Carver, 1985; Scheier et al., 1994; Chang, 1998) and physical health (Peterson et al., 1988; Räikkönen et al., 1999). Pessimism, i.e. negative future outcome expectations, has been found to be directly linked to learned helplessness, apathy and depression (O’Leary et al., 1977; Seligman, 1975; Wenzlaff et al., 1988). Very little is known about the developmental determinants of dispositional optimism, as longitudinal research is almost non- existent. Dispositional optimism has been found to correlate positively with retrospectively reported maternal and paternal Social Indicators Research 69: 219–242, 2004. © 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.