Optimism Vs Pessimism: Which is better?

Few days ago, I created a poll on my instagram story. The poll had two options: Optimism and Pessimism. I asked my followers to vote for the one which they think is better. 72% of the people said optimism was better than pessimism. But how true is it? I am a pessimist myself, and it sucks to be a pessimist. At the same time, I am quite glad that I am a pessimist. You’ll know the reason behind it in a while. But for now, let’s look at what makes a person an optimist, and what makes a person a pessimist. *Who are optimists? An optimist is a person who has a positive outlook on life. They focus on the positive side of things and expect things to turn out well. They are confident in their ability. *Who are pessimists? A pessimist is a person who has a negative outlook on life. They expect things to turn out bad and they are not confident in their ability. *Pessimism over optimism. Let's take a look at the classic example of a glass which is half-filled and half-empty. A pessimist will say “the glass is half empty” and an optimist will say “the glass is half filled”. This shows that both the optimist and the pessimist see the full potential. The full potential being the glass fully filled. But here is the difference, the pessimist sees the void. The pessimist sees the gap that needs to be filled. A pessimist sees the problem. Remember when I said that I am quite glad that I am a pessimist? This is why. In his book “Barking Up The Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong”, Eric Barker wrote, “Positive beliefs keep you going but they are, to a degree, illusions. It was depressed people who saw the world more accurately” After a sentence, he adds, “We need optimism and confidence to keep going and convince others to join our cause, but negativity and pessimism help us see problems so we can make them better. ” After reading all this, you might think “Huh, maybe I should become a pessimist too”. Hold on a second buddy. *Optimism over pessimism. While pessimists see the world more accurately, all the negative emotions that a pessimist has to deal with may overwhelm the person. This can cause stress, anxiety, depression or even suicide. Meanwhile, having a positive outlook on life can make you happier and more confident. *So, should I be an optimist or a pessimist? Both optimism and pessimism have their own advantages and disadvantages. And when you take both to their extremes, you have a recipe for disaster. So there is no clear winner. But there is something that can benefit both optimists and pessimists. Let me introduce you to self-compassion. Self-compassion basically means, not being hard on yourself if you fail. If your actions don’t live up to your expectations, forgive yourself. In other words, self-compassion is an art of forgiving yourself when you fail to live up to your expectations. When you do something and it doesn’t meet your expectations, don’t beat yourself up. Just say to yourself, “you failed, and that’s fine. Do better next time”. *Pro Tip: Don’t take optimism or pessimism to their extremes. Learn how to find problems better like pessimists. Learn how to keep your hopes alive like optimists. No matter where you lie in the spectrum of optimism and pessimism, learn the art of self-compassion. *References: • “Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong” by Eric Barker, HarperOne, 16th May 2017 - https: //www. amazon. com/Barking-Wrong-Tree-Surprising-Everything/dp/0062416049