Optimism is good for us as long as it’s realistic

Article

23 Apr

When I was younger, I used to be a little annoyed by the phrase ‘optimism’. I think it was because I believed that a certain amount of pessimism is also good and can prepare you to handle threats to your wellbeing – which is not false, as you will read in this piece. I’ve been doing research on wellbeing for some time now, and optimism is one of the constructs that is strongly related to wellbeing. In time, with the help of research studies and life experiences, I have become much sympathetic to optimism.

There are some misconceptions around optimism and whether it’s good or risky. Recently, with my colleague Prof. Astrid Schütz, I published a chapter1 on optimism in the Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. After reviewing hundreds of research studies conducted on the topic, we compiled the most important findings on what optimism is and its positive and negative consequences in our lives as well as ways to become more optimistic. Let’s dive into some of the interesting insights.

What is optimism?

Optimism is the expectation that good things will happen in the future despite problems, challenges or negative life events. However, this doesn’t mean always seeing the bright side of life. Optimistic people do notice problems and challenges, but compared to pessimistic people, they are more proactive about making things better as they believe that things can change. In other words, they take action and contribute to solving problems, while pessimistic people choose to stay more passive and avoid taking responsibility due to their negative expectations.

However, optimism and pessimism are not polar opposites. It’s not that simple. Psychological constructs are more complex than they seem. Optimism and pessimism generally interact, and they can co-exist. They are two sides of the same coin. We might have optimistic tendencies in certain situations but a more pessimistic attitude in others. Therefore, rather than focusing on classifying yourself as an ‘optimist’ or ‘pessimist’, it’s more effective to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each. Some people are more optimistic than others; but more is not necessarily better. Being too optimistic doesn’t mean that you will achieve the best outcomes in life. Balancing optimism and pessimism and being able to shift between the two might be a better approach.

Is optimism always good?

The short answer is no, but I’ll also give you the long answer. There is a fine line between ‘realistic optimism’ and constant positive thinking or ‘blind optimism’. Realistic optimists do not think that everything is and will always be amazing. They notice the negative as well, but they actively search for ways to tackle their problems. An unrealistic optimist is likely to say “There is nothing to worry about, things will be great”, while a realistic optimist would say “This problem can harm us; but if we take the right steps, we might find the right solutions. It’s worth trying.”

Unrealistic optimism might expose us to threats and dangers. For example, when our loved ones are in pain, unrealistic optimism might keep us from letting them express their emotions. If we always think positively and avoid noticing problems, others might not feel comfortable expressing their true (negative) feelings to us. Because the optimist sees everything through a positive lens, they might feel ashamed of their feelings.

Focusing only on the positive might also leave us unprepared for negative events and situations. When small problems are avoided, ignored, or not accepted, they can get bigger over time. Think about certain risky behaviours. If our optimism is not realistic, we might believe that we will always be healthy and nothing bad can happen to us. This might lead to negative habits that have the potential to harm us. For example, research shows that unrealistic optimism increases the risk of heart attack, because when people fail to consider the possible negative consequences of their behaviours and ignore threats to their health, they avoid adaptive behaviours such as healthy eating or exercising (2). Similarly, too much optimism might lead a person to underestimate the probability of losing when gambling (3). This sort of optimism can indeed be comforting in the short term, but might increase the risk of negative consequences in the long term.

Given these potential pitfalls, a more constructive approach might be to develop a willingness to shift between optimism and pessimism depending on the situation. For example, in risky situations (if the cost is high), we might exercise more pessimism than optimism. If we want to inspire others or if we’re driving for our goals, a more optimistic approach might be more helpful.

As the founder of Positive Psychology Martin Seligman said “What we want is not blind optimism but flexible optimism—optimism with its eyes open. We must be able to use pessimism keen sense of reality when we need it, but without having to dwell in its dark shadows.” (4)

Realistic optimism has a lot of benefits

Research shows that optimism has numerous positive effects on our physical and emotional health (5). For example, optimistic patients suffer less, heal faster and go back to their normal daily activities sooner compared to pessimists. Optimistic people are also known to have a stronger immune system.

Optimistic people lead a more satisfied life, are happier, and put more effort into coping with stress. Pessimism, on the other hand, is correlated with depressive symptoms, loneliness and anxiety. Additionally, optimistic people are perceived as more attractive, are happier in their interpersonal relationships, and manage conflict better. In working life, optimism can increase job performance and hence organisational productivity.

Research also demonstrates that since optimists expect good things to happen, and thus tend to think about the distant future in a more positive way, they come up with creative ideas about the future and how they can achieve them (6). This has important implications for our personal and professional lives, as this kind of thought process can facilitate new business ideas and setting new goals.

Can you become more optimistic?

Optimism is a personality trait; that is, an individual difference that is affected by genetic factors to a certain extent. Therefore, it is relatively stable. However, environmental factors do make a difference as well. For example, while life events such as loss of a loved one, physical or sexual abuse, too much parental control or coercion affect optimism in a negative way, a family environment based on support, trust, love, and good communication has a positive impact on the development of optimism.

Research also shows that some interventions can help us capitalise on optimism (7). For instance, gratitude exercises such as writing down three good things that happen each day increase optimism. Another effective intervention is imagining our future self, who has achieved some of our goals. During the imagination process, we try to answer the following questions: What are we doing at the time when we have achieved our goals? What kind of a person are we? What obstacles have we overcome? What people are around us?

Optimism can be improved through psychological flexibility techniques as well. Perceiving thoughts as what they are, not what they say they are, not believing every story that we tell ourselves, putting a distance between ourselves and our thoughts, rather than a judgmental view choosing a curious and open mind to look at the thoughts and situations are some of the ways we can practice psychological flexibility.

Pessimistic people believe that when something bad happens, the situation will never change. Optimistic people, on the other hand, accept the situation, but also believe that things might change if they actively work for it. This kind of mental shift can be very helpful for working on optimism. When bad things happen, pessimistic people also tend to blame themselves and believe that they are weak, unsuccessful or a bad person. This can be replaced by accepting our mistakes or flaws, and focusing on what could be done better next time, as optimistic people tend to do. An accepting attitude combined with a proactive approach is likely to result in positive outcomes. Pessimistic people also tend to believe that they are the sole cause of things happening around them or to them. Instead of making things very personal, we can ask ourselves what our own contributions to the situation and what the contributions of other people are, and become aware of the things that we can and cannot control.

Changing our internal dialogue is another way of working on optimism. we all have an inner critic. sometimes it’s very loud and it might affect how we perceive and feel about ourselves in a negative way. Showing ourselves some self-compassion like the compassion we would show a loved one when they need it can help us work on our narratives. When we’re anxious or sad, we tend to call a loved one, because the warmth and kindness make us feel safe and valued. We can be that kind of loving friend to ourselves and turn that compassion inwards.

The takeaway

Positive expectations are good; optimism leads us to look for new challenges and work on the things we have control over. On the other hand, we should remember the importance of being realistic and be aware of the line between constructive optimism and pop psychology positive thinking. Have positive expectations about the future, but do not get into the habit of sweeping reality under the rug or distorting it. Otherwise, you might be caught off guard when negative things happen. We should also evaluate to what extent the situation can be changed and act accordingly. If there are situations or conditions you cannot change, it’s better to accept them rather than relying on false optimism. Lastly, remember that being “very optimistic” might not necessarily result in the best outcomes in every situation. It might be balance that keeps us going.

References

Schütz, A., Schall, M., & Koydemir, S. Optimism. (2018). InVirgil Zeigler-Hill & Todd Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer.
Ferrer, R. A., Klein, W. M. P., Zajac, L. E., Sutton-Tyrrell, K., Muldoon, M. F., & Kamarck, T. W. (2012). Unrealistic optimism is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis. Health Psychology, 31, 815–820.
Gibson, B., & Sanbonmatsu, D. M. (2004). Optimism, pessimism, and gambling: The downside of optimism. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 149–160.
Seligman, M. E. (2006). Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life. Vintage.
Chiu, F.C. (2012). Fit between future thinking and future orientation on creative imagination. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 7(3), 234-244.
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Segerstrom, S. C. (2010). Optimism. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 879–889.
Koydemir, S., Bugay Sökmez, A. & Schütz, A. (2019). A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of randomised controlled positive psychological interventions on subjective and psychological well-being. Applied Research in Quality of Life. DOI: 10.1007/s11482-019-09788-z.