comparison between optimism and pessimism

It can also help us be more balanced when our ego is about to make us be foolish. Pessimism has also been found to be quite useful in overcoming fear, because thinking of the worst outcomes can spur people to take action they might otherwise avoid. It can help you to prepare for unavoidable difficulty, giving you mental strength when dealing with shock and pain. creativity is required over simple logicĮxamples of optimism being the right perspective might be when you are coming up with an idea for a business, starting a year-long contract for a difficult client, or deciding on a long-term exercise goal or nutrition plan.a situation has a lot of difficulties to overcome.Optimism creates motivation and hard work, and can be like a buffer from the risk of failure. Strategic Optimism vs Pessimism – When to Use What The idea is that choosing the right outlook for the right situation might lead to better outcomes. This new way of viewing optimism and pessimism as malleable instead of fixed perspectives is called “strategic optimism/pessimism”. It’s true that we all may be naturally inclined to one way of thinking or another– known as “dispositional optimism/pessimism”.īut current research, such as that being carried out in the University of Michigan’s ‘optimism-pessimism lab’, suggests that a productive way to view optimism and pessimism is as an outlook you choose based on the particulars of the situation at hand. Do you believe you will achieve your lifelong goals?īut what if you feel ambivalent to these questions, have a variety of yes and no responses, or feel that it quite frankly, your answers will vary by day? You might be ahead of the curve.Do you believe that your future will be generally good?.

Answering no would be an indicator of pessimism. Answering yes to questions similar to the following would put you in the optimist camp. Pollyannas of the world win out over those of us who predict the worst? Or is it possible a bit of both is best? Are you an optimist or a pessimist?Ī quick online test can reveal whether or not you fall squarely into the pessimist or optimist camp.

Comparison between optimism and pessimism