Illustrative sample · not a medical result

Optimism Biology Report

Dana R.

Age 49FemaleDraw July 202613 markers · one morning draw · Quest
58/100
Room to move

Your Optimism Biology Score weighs the thirteen markers most tied to optimism in the research — led by the three (hs-CRP, IL-6, fibrinogen) that moved in an actual optimism-training trial. A lower score means the biology that underwrites a steady, hopeful mood is running warm today.

You told us, on the Life Orientation Test: 14 / 24 — optimism has felt low lately.

A note from your physician

Dana — you said optimism has felt hard to hold onto, and your blood offers a real, physical reason. A low-grade inflammatory signal is running, and the hormones that buffer stress have thinned. This is not a diagnosis, and none of it is fixed — these are among the most responsive markers in the body. Here is exactly what yours look like today, and where the leverage is.

Srini Pillay, MDCo-founder & Clinical Direction
Your markers today

Thirteen markers, one morning draw.

Each value shown against its laboratory reference range. Flags reflect where you sit today — this is a snapshot, not a diagnosis.

Inflammatory

hs-CRP2.6 mg/L<1.0 low · 1–3 moderateWatch
IL-62.4 pg/mL<1.8Elevated
TNF-α8.9 pg/mL<8.1Watch
IL-10 anti-inflammatory0.6 pg/mL0.5–5.0Low
Fibrinogen375 mg/dL200–400High-normal

Stress & hormonal

Cortisol (AM)18.5 µg/dL6.2–19.4High end
DHEA-S95 µg/dL~35–200 (age/sex)Low
Cortisol : DHEA-S ratio0.19lower = more resilientElevated
Testosterone, total28 ng/dLF 15–70Optimal
Testosterone, free1.4 pg/mLF 0.6–3.1Optimal

Growth factors & metabolic

IGF-1118 ng/mLage-dependentOptimal
VEGF79 pg/mL31–86High-normal
Tryptophan48 µmol/L45–75Low-normal

Immune cell balance (CBC)

WBC6.8 ×10³/µL4.5–11.0Normal
Neutrophil : Lymphocyte (NLR)2.5<3.0Normal
What your optimism biology looks like

Read by pathway.

How your markers map to the biology the research links to dispositional optimism — context for a conversation with your doctor, not a diagnosis.

Inflammation

Optimism is tied to lower systemic inflammation; an optimism-training RCT lowered hs-CRP and IL-6, and a 6,814-person study linked pessimism to higher fibrinogen even after full adjustment.

Yours is running warm — hs-CRP 2.6, IL-6 elevated at 2.4, TNF-α just over range, and your anti-inflammatory IL-10 is low. This is the pattern most tied to a flatter, grayer mood, and it's also the most reversible.

Stress resilience (HPA axis)

Optimists show a calmer cortisol response and recover faster; a higher DHEA-S relative to cortisol reflects a more protected, anabolic state.

Your morning cortisol is at the high end and DHEA-S is low, so the cortisol:DHEA-S ratio is unfavorable — your day-to-day stress buffer is thin, which the literature ties directly to how optimism feels.

Tryptophan–serotonin pathway

When inflammation rises, tryptophan gets diverted away from serotonin production — one of the main biological bridges between inflammation and low mood.

Your tryptophan sits low-normal (48), consistent with the inflammatory signal above pulling it away from serotonin.

Growth factors & vascular

IGF-1 and VEGF support neuroplasticity and vascular repair; fibrinogen is also an independent cardiovascular risk factor.

IGF-1 is in a good place; VEGF and fibrinogen are high-normal — worth watching, not alarming.

You already knew

Your experience and your biology agree.

You told us optimism has felt low. Your blood says the same thing — the inflammatory and stress pattern above is exactly what the research links to that feeling. You're not imagining it, and it's not "just you." It's measurable, and most of it responds to what you do next.

What to do with this

Where your leverage is.

  1. The inflammatory pattern (hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, low IL-10) is the highest-leverage lever and the one most tied to how you feel — the usual movers are omega-3, sleep, and steady movement. Worth reviewing with your physician.
  2. Your stress buffer (high-end cortisol, low DHEA-S) is the second thread — the recovery/stress-load conversation, not a supplement to self-prescribe.
  3. Fibrinogen and VEGF are high-normal; flag them for your doctor in the cardiovascular context.
  4. These markers respond over months. A repeat draw in ~3–6 months would show whether the pattern is shifting.

For your physician

This is a consumer wellness snapshot, not a diagnostic workup. Thirteen serum markers from a single fasting AM draw at a CLIA-certified lab, paired with a short optimism questionnaire. Points for interpretation:

  • hs-CRP 2.6 mg/L (moderate CV risk band); repeat if ever >10. NLR 2.5 (<3.0). Fibrinogen 375 mg/dL (upper-normal; independent CV risk factor).
  • Cortisol:DHEA-S is a psychoneuroendocrine research metric of stress resilience, not a standard clinical cutoff; lower is generally favorable.
  • Tryptophan is a mechanistic/research marker (IDO-driven depletion with inflammation), not a standard screen.
  • Any value outside the lab reference range warrants standard clinical evaluation independent of this report.
This is an illustrative sample built to show the shape of a mindspan Optimism Biology Report; the values and the individual are fictional. mindspan is a wellness assessment and a personalized report, not a diagnostic test — it does not diagnose, treat, or predict any disease, and it is not a substitute for care from your own physician. Serum biomarkers are peripheral measures and do not directly measure brain states; associations with optimism are drawn from population research and may not apply to any individual. Discuss any result, and any change to diet, supplements, or medication, with a licensed clinician.