Different strokes for different folks

‘Twixt the optimist and pessimist
The difference is droll:
The optimist sees the doughnut
But the pessimist sees the hole.

- McLandburg Wilson

Most people are naturally inclined to classify everything they come across. So, they classify countries into developed, developing and underdeveloped states. Classification is not a modern invention. Even in the distant past people were classified into different castes. Although the caste system in Sri Lanka took a back seat with the advent of Buddhism, it is very much alive and kicking in India. One’s caste is taken into consideration when it comes to university admission and employment in India.

In the Digital Age we tend to classify people into optimists and pessimists, condemning the latter for no apparent reason. Dr Louis L. Mann said, “An optimist is one who makes the best of conditions after making the conditions the best possible.” On the other hand, Mark Twain said, “Pessimism is only the name that men of weak nerves give to wisdom.” Whatever the differences may be, can we put all the optimists on one side and all the pessimists on the other?

With the popularisation of Positive Thinking, optimism has got a turbo boost. Psychologists and even pseudo-psychologists tell us that only optimists have fantastic plans for the future. They always hope for a better future in a brighter world. While optimists are looking forward to a rosy future, pessimists seem to be mired in a depressing situation.

Twist of fate

Very often we find employees complaining that their workplaces are going to be closed and there are sinister plans to retrench workers. Far from working out how to make their dreams come true, they are worrying about all the things that might go wrong. Very often pessimists entertain a morbid fear that their possessions, wealth and jobs will be taken away by some unseen force. They expect the worst through a twist of fate.

Sometimes, optimists and pessimists clash openly. Optimists claim that pessimists are leading a miserable life because of their negative thinking. Pessimists are also responsible for pouring cold water on exciting plans. However, pessimists believe that optimists are out of touch with reality. “Can’t you see what’s happening to the world? Everything is in a mess and we have no future,” they scream.

Pessimists will also give facts and figures of the mounting crime rate. According to them, there is a substantial increase in the crime rate. Then they sulk in their own tents saying, “What a nasty, cruel and accident-prone world we are living in.”

Although psychologists have studied optimism and pessimism in-depth, they are unable to tell us whether there are more pessimists than optimists or vice versa. Some psychologists and even ordinary people seem to think that optimism is better than pessimism. Napoleon Hill in his popular book The Law of Success promotes optimism and says that optimists are a happy lot.

Enthusiasm

Despite such divergent views, there are advantages and disadvantages of being an optimist. No doubt, optimists generally enjoy a sense of happiness and feel better about life. They take even a failure in an examination as a blessing. What is more, optimists do not give up their struggle to succeed in life. They are full of energy and nobody can suppress their enthusiasm for long.

However, everything is not hunky-dory with optimism. Optimists have realised to their dismay that even pessimists cope with life’s myriad problems equally well. Although they have a negative mind-set, they are not short of will-power. Being resilient people, pessimists encounter life’s problems stoically. Their courage in dealing with pressing problems is praiseworthy.

Research in modern psychology shows that optimists as well as pessimists use their differing views of the world to motivate themselves. Both groups know that the future is uncertain. Sometimes, however much you study, you will fail your examinations. Similarly, however much you try, you may not get what you desire. In such situations, the optimist has to eat humble pie and the pessimist will suffer in silence.

Slings and arrows

When an optimist is down and out, he will choose to think optimistically. This he does to motivate himself to try again. If you look at it realistically, the pessimist has the same mind-set. By thinking of possible failures, he conditions himself to face difficult situations. In a way, the optimist and the pessimist provide a protective buffer against what William Shakespeare called, “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”

According to a new study by Abigail Hazlett, optimists have a “promotion focus” while pessimists are more preoccupied with security and safety. His research further shows that optimists are engaged in their tasks when they entertain positive thoughts. On the other hand, pessimists are successful when they entertain negative thoughts. So, optimism and pessimism seem to be different strokes for different folks. They are effective strategies of coping with complexities in an uncertain world.