4/15/2023 0 Comments The power of optimism![]() “One of the biggest pitfalls of the human brain is our negativity bias – our tendency to pull out and place more mental value on the things we aren’t doing well.” Gillian Goerzen, a health coach from British Columbia and author of the just-released book The Elephant in the Gym, says by adopting an optimistic outlook we can set ourselves up for success. ![]() Many believe it’s better, and healthier, to see the glass as half-full, though some argue that being optimistic is not realistic, and that thinking that way can actually be detrimental. Do you see the glass as half-full or half-empty? Lang et al.Ah, the age-old optimism-pessimism debate. Spencer and Norem, “Reflection and Distraction” ( Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, April 1996) Norem and Illingworth, “Strategy-Dependent Effects of Reflecting on Self and Tasks” ( Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Oct. Norem and Cantor, “Defensive Pessimism” ( Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Dec. Forgas and Tan, “Mood Effects on Selfishness Versus Fairness” ( Social Cognition, Aug. Lambert et al., “Mood and the Correction of Positive Versus Negative Stereotypes” ( Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, May 1997) Koch et al., “Can Negative Mood Improve Your Conversation?” ( European Journal of Social Psychology, Aug. Sweeny and Shepperd, “The Costs of Optimism and the Benefits of Pessimism” ( Emotion, Oct. Weinstein and Lyon, “Mindset, Optimistic Bias About Personal Risk and Health-Protective Behavior” ( British Journal of Health Psychology, Nov. Ferrer et al., “Unrealistic Optimism Is Associated With Subclinical Atherosclerosis” ( Health Psychology, Nov. Dawson et al., “The Power of (Non) Positive Thinking” (Institute for the Study of Labor, July 2015) Neff and Geers, “Optimistic Expectations in Early Marriage” ( Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, July 2013) Jones et al., “The Divide Over America’s Future” (Public Religion Research Institute, Oct. Instead, focus on preparing for the worst. Still, it may be time to revise an old maxim: Forget about hoping for the best. Defensive pessimism isn’t exactly a new strategy, of course-the Stoics were urging “the premeditation of evils” some 2,300 years ago. A 30-year study of more than 10,000 Germans found that older adults who had underestimated their future satisfaction were less likely than their optimistic peers to end up disabled or die prematurely. This approach might work across one’s lifetime, too. A pair of follow-up studies found that by setting low expectations and envisioning worst-case scenarios, defensive pessimists optimized their performance on a variety of tasks, from darts and math problems to fulfilling real-life goals. So how can you get the most out of a glass-half-empty mind-set? In the 1980s, two University of Michigan researchers described a strategy they called “defensive pessimism,” whereby people harness their anxiety for good. People who saw sad video clips before playing an allocation game were more generous with their partners than those who saw happy clips. Feeling down can make us behave more fairly, too. Compared with cheery moods, bad moods have been linked to a more effective communication style, and sadness has been linked to less reliance on negative stereotypes. Įmbracing negativity may also have social benefits. Students who had anticipated a higher grade than they received were upset after learning their score students who had underestimated their grade (i.e., the pessimists) felt better afterward. In one study, psychology students were surveyed immediately before and after receiving exam results. ![]() For example, homeowners who underestimated their chances of radon exposure were less likely to buy radon test kits than were those with a more realistic sense of risk-their optimism left them vulnerable. Maybe this is because a rosy outlook leaves us overconfident. And National Cancer Institute researchers found that people who lowballed their risk of heart disease were more likely to show early signs of it. A study of data from British households found that across two decades, especially optimistic self-employed people earned about 25 percent less than their pessimistic peers. Optimism may also be tied to lower earnings. Married couples who were extremely optimistic about their relationship’s future were more likely to experience relationship deterioration. Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
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