Pessimism Isn’t Always Negative
Although optimism is associated with benefits to wellbeing, it is not always better to be optimistic and the evidence is not suggesting that people should be optimistic all the time; there are circumstances where optimism can be limiting. Some research has shown that being overly optimistic can lead to negative outcomes. In one study the optimistic individuals were recalling feedback that they received about a performance as more positive than it was and therefore were less aware of what they needed to do to improve. This is known as unrealistic optimism.
Equally, when pessimism is at its extreme it is also unhelpful. This is known as defensive pessimism and usually occurs as a result of high levels of anxiety. This leads to people setting goals that have unrealistically low expectations for themselves and then dwelling on every possible outcome for the situation. These people are overly prepared and are likely to have spent a lot of time on one goal; however, their performance is no better or worse than an individual who is unrealistically optimistic.
Even though the research suggests that a pessimistic explanatory style is linked to lesser wellbeing there are situations where pessimism can be seen as beneficial. Spend a few minutes thinking about the statements below and whether you think they are helpful or unhelpful forms of optimism or pessimism.