Where there is Hope,there is Life: Toward a Biology of Hope

Abstract

Argues the thesis that where there is hope there is life. Grounds this thesis philosophically and theologically, then reviews it from the medical and nursing literature, and illustrates it in a vignette of hospital ministry. Argues that hope can enhance the quality and even the quantity of life. Proposes that hope helps people to deal with their feelings and to cope with their illness. Hope affects immunity and survival. Challenges chaplains, pastoral counselors, and parish clergy to become more effective “agents of hope.”