Many would argue that pessimism has no benefits, especially to mental health. But experts have gathered that there’s a silver lining in pessimism. Pessimism outrightly spells doom at first glance and defining it doesn’t make it any better. However, people need to accept that a sizable number of individuals may be pessimistic. For some pessimists, it is based on the situations they find themselves. While extreme pessimists never see the good in any situation.
Understanding Pessimism, Realism And Optimism
Amongst the three pessimism sticks out like a sore thumb. It is the belief in the fact that there’s really nothing to be hopeful for. Meanwhile, realism deals with the facts in view. Realists don’t bother about the past or future but the present. They tend to handle situations as they come. On the other end, optimism is described as positivity. An optimistic person will always think and hope for a better outcome. This energy influences one’s mental health and eventually, output to circumstances.
Benefits Of Pessimism
Amid the disparities in the three mentioned above, Pessimism has its benefits. People under this category are likely to possess a tougher mental capacity. But that would be because they already prepared themselves ahead. Other advantages enjoyed include:
Pessimism Yields Resourcefulness
Since pessimists hardly believe anything can go right, they tend to be careful with their resources. Rather than lavish resources on less important things they seem to be precautionary. This easily translates to the fact that they have more resources at their disposal.
Pessimists Aren’t Swayed
No online trend or challenge or amount of peer pressure gets to them. Pessimists often have their minds made up. It is almost impossible to convince them otherwise. But apart from that, they would prefer not to associate with the crowd. They often have a way of observing social groups and may see little benefits in them. While scrutiny before association is a good thing, it may also lead to social isolation, however, for pessimists that’s just fine.
Pessimists Pay Attention Tiny Details
No matter how unimportant it seems, a pessimist must scrutinize details. This is because they always hope to find the problem in every situation. In actuality, this makes them meticulous and more attentive.
Pessimists Values Good Time
Pessimists may value the good times more because they know it has an expiry date. For them, nothing lasts forever. So they may tend to live and enjoy the non-pessimistic moment.
Pessimists Celebrate Success Better
Success is not always in a pessimist’s vocabulary. No matter the level of risk involved, a pessimist believes that something might go wrong. So in situations where success becomes the outcome, pessimists celebrate it. For them such situations are short term and a good surprise.
Despite these benefits, too much of anything is bad. This principle equally applies to pessimism. Once a person goes overboard with their belief in failure, it may have a dangerous impact. However, according to sources, a pessimistic person is likely to make changes when necessary. This is because they already view an outcome as bad, they may be inclined to do things differently.
Final Note
Whatever end of the spectrum an individual chooses, make sure not to be an extremist. This would only limit personal growth and ability to have successful relationships.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
