This article was developed via a partnership with BetterHelp.

Pessimism and optimism often go hand in hand. Although many people fall somewhere in between the two outlooks, there are others who consider themselves to be strictly one or the other. Consider how different individuals respond as New Year’s Day approaches. Some are excited for the days ahead while others are adamant it will be another year of pain, struggle, and heartache. You could argue that one set of people are optimists while the others are pessimists. However, it always depends on the situation and specific person. Some portray pessimistic people as always being negative and optimistic people as always being positive. However, it’s usually more complicated than that. Both optimism and pessimism can serve their purpose, and each have downsides as well as benefits. Comparing the two can help you understand which mindset you might lean toward and guide you toward a healthier outlook should you desire one. If you still have questions, more information about pessimism can be found at the following link: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/pessimism/.

What is Pessimism?

Pessimism refers to the tendency to view the world with a more hopeless than hopeful perspective. If you’re a pessimist, you’ll often believe that the worst will happen and won’t have confidence in the future. In general, you’ll think that the world is filled with more evil than good and believe that evil will prevail in the end. It’s a state of mind that can cause you to engage in negative self-talk, doubt your abilities, and lose motivation to work toward something meaningful. Of course, pessimism will affect different people and their lives to varying degrees.

What is Optimism?

Optimism is normally referred to as the opposite of pessimism. It’s a mindset characterized by hopefulness, positivity, and seeing the glass as being half full. Optimists feel good about the future and work toward goals and plans with confidence. If you’re an optimist, you’ll believe that you’ll be successful in whatever you set your mind to and expect everything to turn out generally well. In essence, you expect whichever outcome is most favorable and tend to look on the bright side of things.

Benefits of Pessimism

Although people like to place pessimists in a bad light much of the time, there are many benefits that can coincide with being more pessimistic than optimistic. Some of these could include:

  • It’s harder to be disappointed when something goes wrong; you’ve already thought about and prepared for disappointment in every situation
  • Expectations tend to be lower in relationships, which can make them healthier
  • It can help you manage anxiety
  • You appreciate when people do kind things for you more than the optimist
  • It can make you better prepared for job interviews and other types of stressful or high-stake situations
  • You plan ahead for the worst-case scenario; if it happens, you’re already prepared to deal with it

Benefits of Optimism

Research generally shows that it’s better to live life more optimistically. If you choose to do so, these are some of the benefits you might experience:

  • Optimists report being happier and more satisfied with their life
  • You experience more positive emotions than negative ones
  • Higher self-esteem and self-confidence
  • You’re more likely to have good mental health, be in good physical shape, and be healthier overall
  • Lower chance of disease
  • You cope well with failure and are always willing to try again until you find success
  • People are more drawn to your positivity
  • You look on the bright side of things and can find something good in every situation
  • You can overcome adversity fairly quickly
  • You go after your goals and dreams with enthusiasm and confidence
  • Wider network of friends, more support, more connected to other people

Downsides of Pessimism

Although pessimism can help you in certain situations, it also has its downsides. This is especially true if you tend to view most things in life through a pessimistic lens. You might experience these downsides if you’re a pessimist:

  • Dwelling on negative thought patterns can be bad for your mental health
  • Fewer coping skills
  • Higher tendency toward depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions
  • You might wake up with a negative mindset, leading to more negativity throughout the rest of the day
  • Less creativity
  • You may lack motivation to work toward your goals and dreams because you don’t believe you’ll be successful
  • Greater stress
  • You may catastrophize; one mistake means that everything else is also a failure
  • You may experience negative physical health effects like inflammation or lowered immune function

Downsides of Optimism

Optimism is, in general, the favorable outlook to approach life with. However, it can have its downsides, including:

  • You might ignore real problems that need your care and attention
  • You may be blind to consequences of your actions
  • Poor decision making because you underestimate obstacles and costs
  • Difficult times can hit you even harder
  • You may place too high of expectations on other people
  • When problems arise, you might not be prepared to handle them because you assumed you’d never run into issues
  • If you’re very optimistic, you might live more in a fantasy world than in reality, which can be a rude awakening

Conclusion

Whether you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist, it is possible to live a happy, healthy life. Viewing the glass as half empty or half full is just one aspect of what makes you think and behave how you do. Understanding your own mindset can help you redirect unwanted or unnecessary thoughts so that you can move closer to a place you want to be at. Whether you’re wanting to become more optimistic or need to develop a more realistic view of the world, change is possible. Your past doesn’t have to hold you back from the person you could become. If you’re having trouble figuring out how to move forward on your own, consider reaching out to someone who could help. This could be a therapist, life coach, friend, or trusted advisor. You can learn something from almost anyone and sometimes just having someone to listen to you can be a big help.

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