It’s hard to stay positive twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, especially for those of us who are naturally inclined to lean towards pessimism. It’s easy only to take note of the not-so-great parts of life, or simply to fall into a rut. Here at OSSM, I’ve noticed a lot more negative comments being said these past few weeks than at the beginning of the semester. With finals approaching and AP tests looming over our heads, these last few weeks of school are a stressful time for all of us, and negativity can naturally take a significant role in our lives. Although this may seem like it’s a bad thing, I am here to tell you that negativity and pessimism are not ALWAYS downfalls, at least for some of us.
In their studies, psychologists Julie K. Norem and Nancy Cantor classify people not only as pessimists and optimists, which are terms that we’ve all heard before, but as “strategic optimists” and “defensive pessimists.” They point out a few key differences in how these two groups of people cope with situations in their everyday lives:
Strategic optimists generally predict good outcomes to their current situation and avoid second guessing themselves.
Defensive pessimists imagine the worst possible case scenario regarding their present circumstance, set low expectations, and continuously review possible outcomes.
Reading this, it’s easy to decide which of the two groups of people is better to fit into, but surprisingly, defensive pessimists put out the same quality of work as strategic optimists and obtain the same academic goals. Those that are “unrealistic” optimists, however, turn out work of lower quality and perform worse. Contrary to what you may have been told, there are some benefits to negative thinking. Defensive pessimists:
1. Can usually deal with disappointment better
2. Accept feedback and critique better
3. Motivate themselves to improve their performance and prepare their resources by using a “designed to tackle” coping method
In fact, certain studies show that negativity can improve memory and judgment.
Norem and Cantor’s study shows that interference with the coping mechanisms of strategic optimism and defensive pessimism can make the end result of a situation worse for those who naturally employ them. Relaxation and positive moods can deter defensive pessimists from achieving their goals, just as stress and negativity can in strategic optimists. If you naturally side more with defensive pessimism, worrying about a bad grade on your upcoming test or presentation, as well as running through every possible outcome, may actually not be the worst option, in fact, it may be the better one.
That being said, defensive pessimism is not a strategy everyone benefits from employing. It is also not healthy for any individual to constantly practice it. Negativity can ultimately lead to problems with mental and physical health, while positivity has been shown to increase your life span.
The trick is finding the in-between. Both positivity and negativity come with upsides and downsides. It’s important to remember that you don’t always have to have an optimistic outlook on life. In fact, negative thoughts can actually help some of us.
So, the next time someone tells you, “if you think that way, you’ll absolutely fail that test,” don’t be quick to assume that they’re right.