Key Takeaways
- Optimists tend to look for the positive in tough situations and believe things will work out well.
- Pessimists tend to expect bad outcomes and focus on what might go wrong.
- You can change your mindset by practicing new ways of thinking and setting clear goals.
If you’ve ever heard the cliché phrases, “the glass is half full” or “the glass is half empty” used to demonstrate a positive or negative mindset, then you already have a good sense of the difference between optimism and pessimism. But where you fall on this spectrum can affect a lot more than how you view a water glass—it can affect your entire outlook on life.
Take the Quiz
If you’re wondering how optimistic or pessimistic you are, this free and fast quiz can help give you an idea.
Who Is This Optimism/Pessimism Quiz For?
This quiz is for anyone who is curious about their mindset and how they respond to the world around them. Maybe your friends and loved ones have told you you’re too much of a Debbie Downer or that you need to be more realistic. Even if that’s not the case, we can all benefit from some introspection every once in a while to take a look at how we view the world.
This quiz is not a diagnostic tool and should be used for entertainment purposes only.
Ultimately, there are pros and cons to every mindset depending on the situation, so your result is really only a snapshot into how you may view similar situations rather than an all-encompassing assessment of your mindset.
An optimist, pessimist, and realist all think differently. If we think about CBT and about automatic thoughts, we can think of this in terms of how people automatically think—where their brain goes to first.
Are You More of an Optimist?
Optimism is most commonly characterized by the mindset of hopefulness and positivity about the future. An optimist assumes that things will work out for the best, even in the face of hardship or when it seems like the odds aren’t in their favor.
When all possible outcomes are laid out, an optimist puts their faith in the option that will be advantageous to everyone involved.
People who are optimists at their core have a consistently optimistic outlook on life. This is a key distinction to make, because someone who is innately optimistic would usually forgo any doubt that things will get better.
But just because you aren’t an optimist by nature doesn’t mean you can’t adopt and optimistic mentality. For most people, optimism is a state of mind that has to be fostered.
With practice and intentionality it’s very possible to become more of an optimist and to cultivate a more positive outlook on life. So even if bad things have happened to you, instead of wallowing in the negative you can instead focus on the lessons learned from that experience and the light at the end of the tunnel.
Furthermore, research shows that the type of positive thinking associated being optimistic has numerous benefits for your overall health and wellbeing. Some of these benefits include a reduction in stress and depression, greater resistance to disease, and even improved longevity.
Potential Pitfalls of Being Overly Optimistic
Even if you are generally optimistic by nature, it doesn’t mean you should assume nothing bad will ever happen. Life is full of ups, downs and changes that can come out of nowhere—this is a guarantee.
So while it is healthy to trust that you’ll always make it out the other side when faced with adversity, it’s unhealthy to think you won’t have to deal with these challenges in the first place.
That mentality can lead to reckless behavior or decision-making, for instance, a gambler might always think they’ll win or a daredevil might always think they’ll make the jump. Being more optimistic does not exempt you from the laws of nature (or reality).
Are You More of a Pessimist?
On the opposite end of the positive-negative mindset spectrum there’s glass half empy thinking, better known as pessimism. Pessimism is the mindset that things will usually trend towards the least desirable outcome and the tendency to focus on the downside of a situation.
When someone is a pessimist they might be described as cynical or defeatist—seemingly resigning themself to a lack of hope around how things will turn out. The glass is half empty.
For instance, if a pessimist who is in school got a bad grade on a test they’ll probably expect to get a bad grade on the next test even if they studied more for this one than the last one. Or if they had a string of bad first dates they’re more likely to assume the next date will be bad too.
Having a consistently negative outlook on life is associated with depression and other mood disorders. Particularly if your negative outlook on life is affecting your ability to function or is causing suicidal ideation—when you feel like you have nothing to be hopeful about, you might wonder, what’s the point of life?
But, just like optimism, your degree of pessimism can be a choice. When you catch yourself thinking about something in an overly negative way you can take a second to be mindful of your thought process and maybe attempt to put a slightly more positive spin on it.
You don’t have to pressure yourself to change your perspective entirely—your feelings are valid—but perhaps there is more of a silver lining than you’re acknowledging.
While it’s generally more advantageous to cultivate a positive outlook on life overall, there’s a thin line between unbridled optimism and toxic positivity.
However, there is also research that says having low levels of pessimism—sometimes called realism—can also lead to better health and happiness because it keeps you more grounded and perhaps a little more matter of fact about life.
Or Are You a Realist?
When you’re not quite an optimist but you’re also not quite a pessimist, you might be described as a ‘realist’. The mindset of a realist lands somewhere in the middle of the positivity and negativity spectrum because it accepts that both good and bad things will always happen.
While being a realist is indeed a more neutral way of thinking, self-described realists are often considered to be callous, detached, or overly logical in their world view.
These descriptors certainly don’t apply to all realists. More often than not, a realist is simply somebody who takes things as they come and adapts accordingly.
A realist doesn’t really see the good or the bad, but sees the situation for what it is—they see a glass of water (it’s neither half full or half empty).
Can You Change Your Mindset?
Change is hard, especially when it comes to elements of your mindset or personality that may often feel set in stone from an early age. Think about all those New Year’s resolutions you’ve set—and probably given up on—over the years. We’ve all been there.
That said, change is far from impossible. By challenging your self-beliefs, setting SMART goals, and focusing on a growth mindset, you actually can change how you view and respond to the world.
