Surely, not everything is getting better. People still die too early, often from communicable and avoidable diseases. Man-made disasters also strike too often. This would not be development. This would be a miracle. Pinker and Rosling document in detail—with well-crafted statistics, laid out over hundreds of pages—the many ways in which the world has become a better place on almost all accounts. Simply put, it is undeniable that people in most parts of the world are getting wealthier, healthier, and wiser.
The belief or perception that things are much worse than they really are is widespread and I believe it comes with significant detrimental impacts on societies. If you think that disaster can strike you at any moment, you will most likely overinvest in safeguarding your security and underinvest in your education or other aspects of your well-being.
At the same time, the opposite perception—that things are always and necessarily changing for the better—can also be counterproductive for, if so, why bother trying to make a change? A more constructive approach is one that acknowledges that things are getting better but that this progress is neither automatic nor optimal. But if the facts are so clear, why are we all still so pessimistic?
My reading of the three books offers three main explanations:. First, our brains are wired in such a way that we are naturally highly receptive to risks. Anthropological history would argue this is because our ancestors were always on the lookout for predators, since their chances of being killed by animals or other human beings were once and for many centuries very high. When pessimists become chronically ill, their negative view of the future may be more realistic and encourage the sort of behaviours that healthcare professionals recommend for managing their illness.
I conducted a study with two groups of people — those with either inflammatory bowel disease IBD or arthritis — and asked them to rate their future health on a simple scale ranging from poor to excellent. However, those who were optimists still rated their health as improving in the future, whereas the pessimists saw their health as getting worse in the future.
Taking this view may lead pessimists to engage in the types of coping strategies necessary to manage symptoms such as pain. Having said that, this benefit may be best realised when there is at least some optimism that such strategies will actually work. The key difference that separates defensive pessimists from other individuals who think negatively — such as those who are simply anxious or depressed — is the way they cope.
Whereas people tend to use avoidance to cope with anticipated problems when they are feeling anxious or depressed, defensive pessimists use their negative expectations to motivate them to take active steps to feel prepared and be more in control over outcomes. Are you a defensive pessimist? Answer these questions to find out.
Edition: Available editions United Kingdom. Become an author Sign up as a reader Sign in. Seeing the glass as half empty may inspire some people to fill it up. Even when considering the possible drawbacks, the benefits of optimism are huge.
So how can you stay optimistic without missing opportunities to keep yourself prepared for crises? There are a number of steps you can take:. The approach of hoping for the best and planning for the worst allows you to enjoy the many benefits of optimism without leaving yourself vulnerable and unprepared. To get the benefits pessimistic thinking has to offer, think about the things that can possibly go wrong, and try to find backup plans and contingencies for dealing with the unexpected.
Then, focus on the positive while keeping these backup plan options in mind. Savor and remember what you have and aim to cultivate gratitude. Make time to take inventory of your own strengths and resources. Stress results when we feel the demands of a situation exceed our resources to handle them. Keeping your available resources in mind can reduce stress and help you feel empowered as you move through life. Practicing mindfulness is another helpful strategy.
Mindfulness is a technique that involves focusing on the here and now rather than worrying about the past and future. One thing that positive psychology research has taught us is that major setbacks do not cause people to feel unhappy for as long as people predict. After a few weeks or months, people who have experienced a major crisis generally return to their regular level of happiness or unhappiness.
Optimists tend to feel happier in general, and pessimists tend to feel less happy than that. Sometimes enduring a crisis provides you with just the right motivation to do that. In fact, it's those who have close friends and a strong sense of community, those who feel gratitude , and those who have a sense of meaning in life who feel the happiest.
Ever wonder what your personality type means? Sign up to find out more in our Healthy Mind newsletter. APA Dictionary. Pessimism is associated with greater all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, but optimism is not protective. Sci Rep. Optimism and pessimism in social context: An interpersonal perspective on resilience and risk. J Res Pers. Forecasting life satisfaction across adulthood: Benefits of seeing a dark future? Psychol Aging. Gender differences in rumination: A meta-analysis.
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Optimism and pessimism are related to different components of the stress response in healthy older people. Int J Psychophysiol. Are people healthier if their partners are more optimistic? The dyadic effect of optimism on health among older adults. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. Optimism is associated with exceptional longevity in 2 epidemiologic cohorts of men and women. Mineo L.
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