The health benefits of hope have long been debated. On one side, hope has been hailed as “the best medicine.” Others have warned against idle hopes which might extend suffering. In this chapter, I review the literature on the hope–health relationship. I highlight three major approaches to hope: the models and measures of Herth, Snyder, and Scioli. I begin with studies examining the impact of hope on emotional and physical health, then transition to interventions. The empirical evidence suggests that “hope,” while often under-defined, demonstrates an impact on health, primarily as a weak to medium-effect moderator. This empirical analysis is embedded in a meta-theoretical perspective. The science of hope is at a critical juncture. Over the past 30 years, empirical research has greatly accelerated without a correspondingly robust conceptual effort. In concluding, I defend a four-dimensional approach to hope and propose a dynamic, working model with respect to health.