Here's How Being A Pessimist Can Actually Be Good For You

We've all heard about the two kinds of people: those who see the glass as half full and those who see it as half empty. In the past, we've been taught that it's good to see it as half full, as that demonstrates optimism and positivity. Well, it turns out that this advice, while it might make us more pleasant people to be around, isn't the best for keeping us motivated in the long term. This video explains the dangers of falling into a cycle of optimism, and why it's important to see the glass as half empty every now and then.

As always, balance is key. You shouldn't fear for the feasibility of your goals and suddenly live in a world of darkness, but you also shouldn't move along blindly telling yourself that, one day, you'll get everything you want. Neither approach works, and that's why you should see the glass, so to speak, as both half empty and half full, whichever seems more logical for the situation.

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Picture of Judge-Jake53 achievements

+3 1. Judge-Jake commented 9 years ago

I'm sad Oliver Sac's died. :(
Picture of AmazingNixxo35 achievements

+1 2. AmazingNixxo commented 9 years ago

Like I've always said... WAY too many happy-go-lucky, positive tongue and cheek motherfuckers out there in the world spraying their bullshit optimism in everyones face!
Picture of BloodBeast28 achievements

+4 3. BloodBeast commented 9 years ago

#1 But not sad enough to get his name right... :)

Oliver Sacks

FTFY
Picture of blue_alien41 achievements

+7 4. blue_alien commented 9 years ago

In short terms, be positive enough to dream big and negative enough to prepare yourself for the biggest obstacles on the way there. And even if you don't get to the end, you'll be better off than when you started. ;)
Picture of thundersnow58 achievements

+2 5. thundersnow commented 9 years ago

Pessimists are not always negative, but being realistic.
Picture of sux2bu67 achievements

-1 6. sux2bu commented 9 years ago

I personally don't buy the whole idea presented here. A pessimist is a person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst in everything or is disposed to being gloomy. I just don't see that attitude as being conducive to trying harder to succeed.
And optimism is not the same as having "positive fantasies" or pie-in-the sky wishful thinking.
Picture of NStolwijk4 achievements

-1 7. NStolwijk commented 9 years ago

I once heard a nice discription of optimists and pessimist.

An Optimist is a person with both feet firmly in the air.
A Pessimist is a person with both feet fimly on the ground.

I hope you like it ;-D
Picture of thundersnow58 achievements

-1 8. thundersnow commented 9 years ago

Okay, I'm gonna go on a bitch session now..got really tired of a job I used to have, "used to" is the key word here, where they told us every single day "be positive"..."be positive".."be positive".."be positive".. even though the work conditions were appalling, unsafe and the admins were screwing us left and right (not the way y'all thinking ;)) , if I or anyone else spoke up to state the obvious and uttered an intelligent word of constructive criticism, they would say, "you are always negative, you need to be more positive"...I'm thinking every day "are you fu....rs blind or what"...That's why I'm tired of this "be positive" BS, because I had to hear it for 15 years, and friends of mine who still work there say it's still that way and the admins are still talking the same crap...

#7 good description!
Picture of sux2bu67 achievements

+2 9. sux2bu commented 9 years ago

#8 That was just your boss trying to control you,has nothing to do with whether you are an optimist or pessimist. Do you see setbacks as an opportunity to try again to do better or do you see them as insurmountable obstacles?
To optimists, the pessimists always seem down on everything, always just a little too keen to pour cold water on any exciting plans.
To pessimists, though, the optimists seem out of touch with reality. Can’t they see what a nasty, cruel and accident-prone world we live in?
Which do you think you are? :)

An Optimist is a person with both feet jumping high in the air.
A Pessimist is a person with both feet firmly stuck in the mud. >:)
Picture of Judge-Jake53 achievements

+2 10. Judge-Jake commented 9 years ago

#7 Not being pedantic but you need to present your saying the other way around! ie pessimist first it will have more impact. just sayin >:)
Picture of thundersnow58 achievements

+1 11. thundersnow commented 9 years ago

#9, I can't answer those questions with yes or no, because it depends on the situation at the time..I get what you're saying though. Still disagreeing somewhat..this is my version:

An optimist is a person in lala land
A pessimist is a person who is skeptical

Everyone has their own view on this but this is mine and I'm sticking to it. Still up-voted you though #9 because you made a good point :) :squirrel:...of course up-voted you too #10, as always <3
Picture of sux2bu67 achievements

+1 12. sux2bu commented 9 years ago

#11 You ought to be more like this.... :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx9xO98kcBU
Picture of thundersnow58 achievements

0 13. thundersnow commented 9 years ago

Haha, that's so cute...actually I am that way, just along with a healthy dose of skepticism and realism, that way I'm (usually) spared huge disappointments and let downs...somehow that seems to work for me. ;)