Optimism vs. Pessimism the Benefits

Optimism vs. Pessimism The Benefits of the Half-Full Glass Optimism and pessimism are considered to be a personality trait, rather than a mood. Personality traits can be distinguished from a mood traits because they are a static part of the persons being, whereas a mood is only a temporary condition. Research supports the positive effects of optimism on a person's well being and ability to recover from trauma. Optimists tend to have quicker recovery times after major surgery than pessimists (Robinson-Whelen, Kim, & MacCullum, et al., 1997).

The benefits of being an optimist goes beyond simply how one feels about life and their expectations. The following will examine two works on optimism and pessimism as they relate to the field of psychology. Optimism is generally defined as a feeling of well being that is characterized by expectations of positive outcomes. Pessimism is distinguished from optimism by an expectation of failure or poor outlook about the future. In the past, these two psychological traits were considered to be part of a continuum.

Some people were strong optimistis, while others were strong pessimists. Others tended to fall somewhere between these two extremes. This led to study methods that examined both optimism and pessimism using a type of scale. Optimism and pessimism were studied in conjunction with one another, rather than as separate traits (Robinson-Whelen, Kim, & MacCullum, et al., 1997). However, according to recent studies, these two traits are beginning to be considered separately.

It is easy to see the benefits of being an optimist, particularly in light of health information that indicates that optimists are in general, healthier than pessimists. Not everyone is either an optimist or a pessimist. Some people are not optimists, but they are not a pessimist either. Robinson-Whelen, Kim, & MacCullum et al., (1997) examined the question of whether it is more important to be an optimist or not to be a pessimist.

When examined separately optimism was found to be more important when faced with life changing or life threatening circumstances that were beyond a person's control. Of particular interest was to try to understand what makes people an optimist or a pessimist. The second goal of the study was to examine the role of negative life events end their effect on optimism or pessimism. This study suggests that optimism and pessimism may change over time, or in response to circumstances and outcomes.

Robinson-Whelen, Kim, & MacCullum et al., conducted a longitudinal study of caregivers. The study used a scale, which measured several different traits. These included optimism, negative life events, perceived stress, state anxiety, depression, self-rated health, and negative affectivity. This study divided the subjects into caregivers and non-caregivers. The study measured changes in optimism vs. pessimism in the two groups over a period of three years. At the beginning of the study, caregivers were significantly less optimistic than non-caregivers. This continued throughout the study.

In addition, caregiver tended to be more pessimistic. The researchers concluded that this indicated that negative life events had an effect on dispositional optimistic or pessimism. It went further to conclude that negative life events can influence the level of a person's optimism or pessimism. In terms of outcomes measured by the scale, such as depression, anxiety, perceived stress and health, no differences were found between the groups. The study did not find that optimism or pessimism was predictive of the outcomes measured.

The study took a different approach to the study of optimism and pessimism. The study used different scales, one for optimism and one for pessimism. It was suggested that optimism and pessimism are not necessarily a continuum as thought in the past. The study found that optimism and pessimism may be independent, particularly among older adults. The study also suggested that optimism might not be a pure measure of positive expectations, particularly for those who are under stress.

A person can be a general optimist, but they may still have negative expectations about a future outcome. People can also perceive both good and bad things about future, and it is not always one or the other. The study also found that pessimism and is more often associated with neuroticism and negative emotions than and optimism. This study concluded that not being pessimistic was more important than being optimistic. Sweeney & Sheppard (2010) found that optimism could have its disadvantages when someone must receive bad news.

Pessimism allows the person to "brace" themselves for bad news and to develop coping skills to help deal with the event. Optimists may have a disadvantage when it comes to real life negative situations. These authors suggest that pessimism is more of a coping mechanism and that optimism can leave a person without a planned coping strategy. The study aked the question of whether optimism is always best when preparing for the unexpected events, or expectations of negative events in life.

Pessimism puts people in the state of readiness, which Sweeney & Sheppard associate with preparedness. It was found that many things could change a person's outlook on life. For instance, the authors found that as peopled found new information that they may change their outlook on life. They can also change their outlook based on their current mood. The authors found that an anxious mood often changes that a person's outlook to one of pessimism.

They can also change their outlook as a conscious preparation to prepare for a potential disappointment. Sweeney & Sheppard found that being less optimistic could make people feel better when the outcomes exceed their negative expectations. This can make them experience of greater happiness even when the outcome is less than ideal. These two studies took a different approach from previous studies on optimism and pessimism. It was found that optimism does not necessarily lead to a positive health effects.

Optimists can still get depressed, experience anxiety and have many of the other negative effects and that result from a stressful life situation. The most important finding of the study by Robinson-Whelen, Kim, MacCullum and associates is that pessimism is predictive of these outcomes, but optimism is not. Pessimism is almost always preferred to optimism and in a situation because pessimism can lead to many negative effects. However, as Sweeney and Shepherd pointed out, that is not say that pessimism does not have its place.

Pessimism appears to be a protective reaction that resembles a.