--- description: Sometimes, it pays to see the glass half-empty title: Optimists vs. Pessimists: Who’s Right? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43d7d249d45c22cc/6986a47055a85925c0a82af7/175274234.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Optimists vs. Pessimists: Who’s Right? by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 20, 2014 4:01 AM CUT  Glass of water isolated on white Glass of water isolated on whitePgiam—Getty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 20, 2014 4:01 AM CUT I listed optimism as one of the [ten things you should do every day to improve your life](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/what-10-things-should-you-do-every-day-to-imp/ "undefined"). Yet pessimism does have advantages and plenty of people see it as a better way to view the world. **_What does the research say about the best outlook to take?_** **Glass as half full** **Optimism is associated with** [**better**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/05/does-optimism-improve-your-health/ "undefined")[**health**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/07/is-optimism-associated-with-better-health/ "undefined") **and** [**a**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/03/do-happy-people-live-longer/ "undefined")[**longer**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/05/can-perfectionism-kill-you/ "undefined")[**life**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/which-personality-types-live-to-be-100/ "undefined")**.** Being positive can actually cause better health because it changes how people behave. Via [The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307473511/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0307473511&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- **Optimism can make you** [**happier**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/can-your-iphone-increase-your-happiness/ "undefined")**.** (And before someone screams “_correlation/causation!_” [research has shown](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/04/what-are-two-easy-things-you-can-do-to-be-hap/ "undefined") that practicing optimism and gratitude does cause increases in happiness.) **The army teaches soldiers to be optimistic because** [**it makes them tougher and more resourceful**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-3-techniques-does-the-army-use-to-instil "undefined")**.** Just believing you _can_ [become smarter](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-an-easy-way-to-become-smarter "undefined") and _can_ become a [better negotiator](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/a-quick-and-easy-way-to-improve-your-negotiat "undefined") have both been shown to increase improvement. **Being socially optimistic — expecting people to like you —** [**makes people like you more**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/a-quick-easy-trick-for-getting-people-to-like "undefined")**.** Expecting a positive outcome from negotiations made groups [more likely to come to a deal and to be happy with it](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/should-you-be-optimistic-going-into-negotiati "undefined"). Optimistic salespeople are more successful. Via [The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307591549/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- And optimism researcher [Tali Sharot](http://www.ted.com/talks/tali%5Fsharot%5Fthe%5Foptimism%5Fbias.html "undefined") explains that, no, **being pessimistic doesn’t soften the blow of bad news**. Via [The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307473511/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0307473511&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- **So why would anyone choose to be pessimistic?** **Optimism can** [**blind us**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-optimism-blind-us "undefined")**. Pessimism can correct your brain’s natural positive bias.** Those who are the most optimistic about their own willpower are actually the most likely to give in to temptation. Via [The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1583334386/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- The reason you can predict your friends’ behavior better than they can is because we are all [realistic about others’ actions and a little too optimistic](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-are-others-better-at-predicting-your-beha "undefined") about our own.[Extremely happy people](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-too-much-happiness-a-bad-thing "undefined") and [very trusting people](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-much-should-we-trust-others-what-are-the "undefined") don’t fare as well as those who are more moderate. In some situations, negative thinking offers a clear advantage. **If diagnosing problems is key to success, you don’t want to be looking on the bright side.** Pessimistic entrepreneurs are [more likely to succeed](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2009/07/optimism-too-much-of-a-good-thing-for-entrepr/ "undefined"). Optimistic gamblers [lose more money](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2010/11/can-positive-thinking-be-a-very-bad-thing/ "undefined"). The best lawyers are [pessimists](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/05/can-pessimism-be-a-good-thing/ "undefined"). Martin Seligman, psychology professor at UPenn and author of [Authentic Happiness](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743222989/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"), explains: --- > “” --- A negative attitude, not a positive attitude, makes you [more likely to learn from your mistakes](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-a-positive-attitude-make-you-more-motiva "undefined"). In fact, the shift to **focusing on negative feedback is** [**one of the marks of an expert mindset**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-marks-the-transition-from-novice-to-expe "undefined")**.** There’s even evidence that **shallow efforts at optimism can make people feel worse**. Via [The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0865479410/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0865479410&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- **So what’s the best outlook?** Does this seem like there’s no way to win? Totally contradictory? **Improvement requires a focus on the negative and an awareness of all the things that can go wrong. On the other hand, perfect execution requires irrational levels of self-confidence.** So when the pressure is on, yes, top performers need to engage in a type of [_doublethink_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublethink "undefined") to be at their best. Via [Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NSVE5U/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- For most of us, though, those situations are rare. **What should you take away from all this?** 1. **The majority of the time, think positive. Happiness and health trump pretty much everything else.** 2. **There are situations where negativity can help, like when we’re making high-stakes plans or trying to improve skills.** You don’t have to see everything through rose-colored glasses (in fact, [that’s bad](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-too-much-happiness-a-bad-thing "undefined")) but avoid taking a pessimistic attitude where negative events are seen as _pervasive, permanent and uncontrollable_. Try to see them more as [local, temporary and changeable](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/12/why-are-lawyers-so-unhappy-and-how-can-we-use/ "undefined"). **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 100,000 readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3404791/optimists-vs-pessimists/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3404791/optimists-vs-pessimists/"},"headline":"Optimists vs. Pessimists: Who’s Right?","datePublished":"2014-09-20T04:01:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T07:55:09.025Z","description":"Sometimes, it pays to see the glass half-empty","url":"https://time.com/3404791/optimists-vs-pessimists/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43d7d249d45c22cc/6986a47055a85925c0a82af7/175274234.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43d7d249d45c22cc/6986a47055a85925c0a82af7/175274234.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"175274234","caption":"175274234","creditText":"Pgiam—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3404791/optimists-vs-pessimists/","name":"Optimists vs. Pessimists: Who’s Right?"}}]}] ```