Are You an Optimist?
Volume 24-1
It has often been said that optimists always see the glass half full while pessimists see it half empty. What about realists? They’re a bit of both! In the early 1980s, researchers (Alloy & Abramson, 1979, Dobson & Franche, 1989) established that people who are more realistic about their qualities and faults and life uncertainties tend to be more depressed; they called this trend “depressive realism.” While other studies (Allan & Hannah, 2007, Carsona, Hollonb, & Sheltonc, 2009, Moore & Fresco, 2007) challenged this hypothesis, we do know that people’s perception of themselves and their environment affects their well-being. What are these perceptions? What roles do they play? And, above all, can we change them? Here are some questions that will be addressed in this newsletter.
Pessimism versus optimism
You probably have people around you who tend to always anticipate the worst and others who always see the good side of things: “This new policy will never work,” “No, have some faith; they said that everything had been taken care of.” These ways of thinking are called “cognitive biases.” According to the Gage Canadian Dictionary, the word “bias” refers to an “inclination or preference that makes it difficult or impossible to judge fairly in a particular situation.” Thus, a cognitive bias is a way of thinking that is “distorted” and deviates from reality. Pessimistic or optimistic bias is a tendency to exaggerate or minimize negative or positive situations.
It’s not me, it’s them
Pessimistic or optimistic tendencies also have other indicators. If you are likely to say: “I met my sales quota because I have good sales strategies,” then you are taking credit for the situation, meaning that you have an internal locus of control. Conversely, if you shift the blame for events onto external factors, you have an external locus of control, as this example illustrates: “I didn’t succeed because I didn’t have enough clients.” Locus of control (Rotter, Lefcourt) refers to how people explain the cause of a situation. Generally, optimists have an external locus for failure (the fault of others) and an internal locus for success (thanks to me). If you have an internal locus for failure (it’s my fault) and an external locus for success (thanks to others) you are rather pessimistic.
What are you?
Psychologist Martin Seligman (2008) developed a theory to explain why some people, when faced with adversity, remain optimistic against all odds. According to him, optimists perceive misfortunes as temporary, situational and resulting from isolated situations: “It won’t last; I only have difficulties with this task.” Whereas pessimists perceive failures as permanent and generalize the impact of misfortunes, being rather fatalistic: “everything always goes wrong, nothing’s right, I’m worthless.”
A style for every occasion
Although pessimists have a greater tendency to become depressed and optimists have a higher sense of well-being, not everything is black and white, and not everything is rosy for optimists either. As Seligman points out, although being optimistic allows people to surpass themselves despite challenges, such as in a workplace where you have only a 1 in 10 chance of getting a meeting with a potential client, “this one already has insurance, but the next one will need some!,” sometimes being too optimistic can lead to serious difficulties. Indeed, how can optimists do budget planning when they always foresee the future without anticipating the worst-case scenarios? Or, if optimists blame others to avoid feeling less competent, how can they improve themselves and resolve conflicts? Conversely, when assessing risks, being pessimistic can be beneficial. Being realistic, that is, trying to accurately evaluate your qualities, flaws and responsibilities can avoid many disappointments, such as not getting your hopes up for something that is doomed to fail: “I’m so good at basketball that although I’m only 4’8’’ (1.46 meters), I’ll be recruited by the NBA.” This can also help change certain situations around and reduce feelings of helplessness: “I often make mistakes in French so I will take a class to improve myself,” “I was too abrupt in that discussion; I’ll try to be more pleasant.” However, being “too” realistic toward the future by considering all potential dangers, risks and misfortunes could be discouraging.
Choosing your style
So, to be happy, it is not enough to say positive things like “you’re beautiful, you’re nice, you’re capable,” but rather to know when you should be positive, realistic and sometimes even pessimistic. Seligman explains that it is necessary to free pessimists from rhetoric that prevents them from living and to help them broaden their options in the face of adversity. To do this, you can use a soul-searching technique (Seligman, Beck). First, describe the situation: “I wrote a report, and my manager gave it back to me with many corrections.” Second, describe your interpretation (your thoughts): “I’m really not good at writing; I will likely be fired.” Then, describe how you feel: “I’m sad, angry; I feel incompetent.” The next step is to confront your thoughts, a bit like the devil’s advocate: “Is it fair to say that I’m not good at writing? No, I usually write good reports; my boss often tells me that he is satisfied with my work. Is it realistic to think that I’ll lose my job? No, people don’t get fired over a few mistakes; there is no other indication that my job is in jeopardy.” Finally, find alternate thoughts / actions: “it’s true that I often make spelling mistakes; it’s a weakness. I will make a note of my most frequent mistakes so that I stop making them.” An optimist would add: “another opportunity to improve myself!” After completing the exercise, pay attention to how changing your thoughts has affected you. You might discover that you feel more in control, more motivated and more confident in your abilities.
Is it better to be optimistic, realistic or pessimistic? Being optimistic can prevent you from becoming depressed and allow you to surpass yourself, but sometimes it is safer to be a pessimist-realist. It’s up to you now to find out whether your automatic thought process corresponds to the circumstances and whether to wake the advocate in you!