Mythbusting myths on pessimism #2

In the first post on the myths of pessimism, I have busted three major myths about it. To summarize:

1. The #1 myth: negative thinking is not more realistic than positive thinking
2. The #2 myth: pessimism is less agreeable than optimism
3. The #3 myth: pessimism creates worry, trouble and health issues, so we’re better off without it

Time has now come for two more myths.

The #4 myth: pessimism drains you

As opposed to the belief that optimism breathes life into you each day, it is said that pessimism drains you of it. And it might sound logically correct, until one acknowledges the use of hardships in life.

How can you know what happiness is if you never heard of unhappiness? How can you feel happy if you have never felt unhappy? And how can you feel full of life if you have never been drained of it?

If one is optimistic and full of life at all times, he will find pleasure to be not nearly as pleasant as he expected, and pain very much more painful. By contrast, a pessimistic person will find pleasure much more pleasant than he expected, and pain much less painful.

The simple drawing below illustrates the general “life level” trends that optimists and pessimists experience over time. I should have probably set the optimist lows a bit lower…

Myth busted! Pessimism doesn’t drain life away. If anything, pessimism boosts one’s perception of it – at times.

The #5 myth: pessimists aren’t successful

Thomas Hardy, me and many other people think otherwise.

“Pessimism is, in brief, playing the sure game. You cannot lose at it; you may gain. It is the only view of life in which you can never be disappointed. Having reckoned what to do in the worst possible circumstances, when better arise, as they may, life becomes child’s play.” – Thomas Hardy

Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, who studies positive psychology, says most optimists are more successful than merited by their talents alone. But with lawyers, the opposite is true. Seligman’s survey of law students at the University of Virginia found that pessimists got better grades, were more likely to make law review and got better job offers.

They say that pessimists are less successful than optimists, but what is the success that they talk about? In the “they say” version, it’s about success in general – in all areas of life. And it’s true that in that direction pessimists are somewhat less successful than optimists. However, when it comes to career success, pessimists are better. I know a lot of pessimists who are far more successful in their work-life than their optimist counterparts.

In a paper published in the February 2004 issue of “Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,” Dr Brian Gibson and Dr David Sanbonmatu reached the conclusion that gloomy-minded people are better at making money than their optimistic counterparts. Despite their best efforts to think the worst, pessimists are more successful as gamblers and stock market players.

The study asked 308 volunteers to answer questionnaires on their expectations and motivations in gambling. The researchers then measured how this deviated from the respondents’ behavior. They recorded the frequency of the volunteers’ visits to the casino, the sums of money they gambled, their average winnings or losses and variations in the intensity of their gambling.

After a losing experience, pessimists were 61% more likely to remember recent losses and adjust their behavior. Optimists were instead more likely to recall winning, even if the odds were stacked against them.

Myth busted! You can be extremely successful (career wise) as a pessimist.

There are probably more than five myths on pessimism, but I think these are the most important ones. And with these myths set aside, you can see that it’s not that bad being a pessimist; but it’s not that good either. The solution to the “which one is better?” dilemma will follow in the next post. Stick around!