5 Differences Between Optimists And Pessimists

Optimism maximizes potential as pessimism squashes it. Look at these five distinguishing differences
between optimists and pessimists and tell me which one are you?

1. Optimists Believe They Are In Control

Optimists believe they can shape their future. They see no reason why tomorrow cant be better than today
was, and theyre right. Circumstances and prior failures dont matter as much to an optimist.
An optimists worldview is such that life improvement is expected. This loops and strengthens itself over time
through positive reinforcement, especially with the right strategies.
But pessimists often feel no sense of control over their lives. If they believed they had control, they wouldnt
be pessimists, because that would mean that they choose negative outcomes. Quite often, pessimists base
their gloomy expectations on prior experiences. They fail to understand the concept of 2nd, 3rd, and 33rd
chances.

2. Optimists Are Forward-Looking

Yesterday is filed away as a joyful or educational experience in the mind of an optimist. There is no day like
the present, and hey, tomorrow is looking pretty good too.
Have you thought about this? The present moment is completely neutral. Anything (good or bad) can happen
from this moment on. So the optimist sees this neutrality as an opportunity to make something good happen.
Another optimist skill is connecting how todays positive actions almost guarantees a better future.
Pessimists are not forward-looking in general. Yes, they look ahead and see a bleak future, but they often
base it on the past, where they like to hang out and drink slurpees. Do you know of any super successful and
happy people who see their future as bleak? If so, its probably because of some recent news or traumatic
event, not their past.
Even if your past was rough, it is possible to have a bright outlook if you believe in yourself (next on the list).
The past can cripple you if you live in it. It can hold you back if you believe youve already hit your ceiling. Or
it can teach you if you examine it.
If you want to be an optimist, let your past become weightless life lessons. Its a choice.

3. Optimists Are Confident In Themselves

Confidence is a determining factor for optimism and pessimism. Optimists believe they can overcome
whatever life throws at them and continue on their way. Pessimists dont believe this, and so are victims of
circumstance.
If you lack confidence, you might be a pessimist for the simple reason that you dont believe you can do it.
The best way to fix this problem is to learn the skills you need in order to succeed. Change your definition of
success to progress and focus on what you can succeed with now.

Example: You want to write a Best-selling novel, but youre pessimistic because of your current writing ability.
Solution: Get better! Change your goal to writing any book or learning how to write better. Stephen King
wrote three full books before he had one published.
Remember, its hard to be pessimistic when you know you can do it.

4. Optimists See Possibility. Pessimists See Problems.

The positive-minded person says, What should I do next? There are so many exciting options!
The negative-minded person says, What should I do next? Ive got so many problems to deal with!
Problems are a part of life. Ive found it best to ignore the ones you cant do anything about. A pessimist can
see an optimist with the same problems and think, well, if they had my issues, they wouldnt be so peppy!
Its not true. People with all sorts of problems cope with them and still move their lives in a positive direction.
Sometimes the best way to deal with lifes problems is to say, so what? Im deciding to move forward.

5. Optimists Have Better, But Shorter Lives

Optimism produces a better life of course but shorter!? Yes, according to a recent study.
Our findings revealed that being overly optimistic in predicting a better future was associated with a greater
risk of disability and death within the following decade, said lead author Frieder R. Lang, PhD, of the
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. Pessimism about the future may encourage people to live
more carefully, taking health and safety precautions. (study 1)
Before you pronounce optimism dead, take a closer look at how they reached this conclusion
Five years after the first interview, 43 percent of the oldest group had underestimated their future life
satisfaction, 25 percent had predicted accurately and 32 percent had overestimated, according to the study.
Based on the average level of change in life satisfaction over time for this group, each increase in
overestimating future life satisfaction was related to a 9.5 percent increase in reporting disabilities and a 10
percent increased risk of death, the analysis revealed. (study 1)
it isnt clear which of these people were optimistic or pessimistic it just measured their expectations to
actual life satisfaction years later. The people defined as overly optimistic could have been slightly
pessimistic and had worse life outcomes than expected. And the people defined as pessimists who
underestimated life satisfaction could have been slightly optimistic and had their expectations exceeded.
A different study found that optimism seems to protect heart health.
The most optimistic individuals had an approximately 50% reduced risk of experiencing an initial
cardiovascular event compared to their less optimistic peers, said Julia Boehm, research fellow in the
Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at HSPH. (Study 2)
And a sense of well-being (clearly connected with optimism) gives many other benefits

They found that individuals with a sense of well-being engaged in healthier behaviors such as exercising,
eating a balanced diet, and getting sufficient sleep. In addition, greater well-being was related to better
biological function, such as lower blood pressure, healthier lipid (blood fat) profiles, and normal body weight.
(Study 2)
I believe there is a takeaway point here.
According to this research, realistic expectations help us to make smarter choices, and general optimism is
very good for the mind and body. To go along with the obvious benefits of an optimistic mindset, it makes
sense to be optimistic about your future, but not to let it blind you to lifes turbulence. Neither blind optimism
or blind pessimism are good for you.

So be a realistic optimist.

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The way we anticipate our futures and see the world around us, can have an impact on our health and longevity. That is: Optimism and
pessimism can affect our physical and mental well-being. But which type of attitude is better for you?
Whether youre an optimist or pessimist, the short answer is that there is inconclusive research about which trumps the other. Some
studies have shown that optimism leads to greater longevity, while other studies have said the exact opposite that pessimism
preserves your health. It also largely depends on your age and circumstances; young people tend to be more idealistic than older
adults, who approach the world with a more experienced and realistic viewpoint that can be seen as negative or pessimistic to those
who preserves their hopes and ideals.
One study published in 2009 found that optimists were more likely to live longer than pessimists, thanks to a decreased chance of
heart disease. The study reviewed 97,253 women over the age of 50 who participated in the Womens Health Initiative, and found that
the most optimistic women were 30 percent less likely to die of heart disease and 14 percent less likely than their pessimistic
counterparts to die from any cause during the study period. However, the authors noted that it might have been a general lifestyle of
these cheery people that explained the association with decreased heart disease risk rather than just the optimism itself: perhaps people
who are more upbeat are also more likely to exercise more, be more active, and retain strong social groups. Optimistic people seem
to seek medical advice and follow it, an author of the study, Hilary Tindle, said. They [also] have good social networks and strong
social relationships, which are stress coping mechanisms. However, others have argued that realists actually end up more prepared
for the challenges life throws at them, thus reducing anxiety and uncertainty.

ADVANTAGES TO BOTH
Of course, no one is entirely a pessimist or 100 percent an optimist. We are more of a walking greyscale of different attitudes, and
studies have shown we actually choose which perspective to take on based on which one will be more functional at the moment.
One study out of Northwestern University and the University of St. Thomas found that there were advantages to both an optimistic
and a pessimistic worldview both biases are thought to be potentially functional, the authors wrote. The researchers also noted
that people actually switch between the two in order to milk the advantages of both, based on the perceived value of each outlook.
Which outlook you choose also depends on where your motivation stems from; people who were primarily concerned with growth or
advancement (referred to as promotion) tended to manifest an optimistic view, while those concerned with safety and security or
preventing negative outcomes focused more on potential downfalls and pessimism in order to improve performance.

People who are concerned with potential downfalls in a project, for example, tend to handle criticism much better than optimists.
Pessimists are always looking to identify the holes or mistakes in a line of thinking so that they can become better. But optimists might
fare better in situations where persistence and not giving up, even in the face of extreme adversity, may take them farther than people
who focus only on what will go wrong, blocking them from their goal.
We can put on our rose-colored glasses for certain situations and be a wet blanket in others, using both optimism and pessimism in a
targeted way, rather than having one blanket policy the entire time.

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What is the difference between optimists, pessimists, and realists? Do you really know? No, it isnt the start of a joke.
Besides most people have come to believe that there are only optimists or pessimists and nothing more. Instead,
what I hope to accomplish is to define and clear up any misconceptions anyone may have by presenting these
personality types.
A pessimist is often viewed as a negative person, but in reality this isnt the case. Most people confuse pessimism
with fatalism which is the root of this misconception. By definition a pessimistic person is usually a skeptic or
doubter, someone who needs proof before they jump on board. Whenever they hear something new, they are the
first to scrutinize it before they will accept it. Can be frustrating to some (especially optimists), but often they are the
ones that facilitate the level of quality and change. Investigators and scientific people often represent this group.
A fatalist is someone who constantly spews out doom and gloom in just about every turn you take, no matter the
situation. They are almost always at odds with something or someone (bone of contention) and are the hardest
group of people to satisfy. Doomsday preppers tend to embody this group.
Optimists are often touted as the best way to be and are usually shown to be well adjusted and happy. They tend to
look on the more favorable side of life and events expecting the most favorable outcome. Their outlook hinges on
idealism and often overlooks the basic nature of people. Because of their upbeat mindset, they are often the most
likely to be gullible and naive. They are the kind of people politicians like because they can be easily persuaded.
Which leave the realist. A realist is someone who tends to view or present things as they really are at this moment in
time. They normally dont worry about what was (even though they are aware) and also dont dwell on what could
be. They work and live in the moment, what is currently at hand. Even stranger is pessimists view them as optimists,
and optimists often view them as pessimists.
What I found to be extremely fascinating is the outcomes that were derived from these various groups. Again it
depends upon the situation, it always does which makes it hard to determine which group is best.
Case in point; during the Vietnam conflict, US soldiers who were taken as prisoners of war and held captive
undetected for long periods of time. Once our troops eventually discovered these camps and rescued prisoners, the
ones who made it (long term) were often realists. In fact after looking deeper into the matter, it was discovered that
usually pessimists died first, closely followed by optimists which baffled the command. They thought if anyone
would make it, it would be the optimists.
However, after further examination even the optimists who believed they would be rescued at anytime often lost
hope in time and ended up giving in which resulted in giving up and their demise. Only the realists made it because
they lived one day at a time and made the most out of that day, day in and day out expecting nothing more.

Now of course most people by nature are not purely one type or another. We are each peppered by some sort of
mixture, an integration of types. However, we all seem to have a higher percentage toward one type than another
which often leads us to believe that a person is either an optimist or pessimist and rarely consider anything else.
Now that you know more, what type are you?