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Why Thinking Negatively Isn't Always a Bad Thing
Positive and Negative thinking
Thinking positively can hinder people from realizing their goals.
At the same time, pessimists can become paralyzed by stress and fail to take action while those who are overwhelmingly positive are unlikely to experience stress or anxiety.
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Reconsider the positive thinking mindset
"Looking on the bright side" is advise that is seldom helpful.
When people think negatively, they can turn their anxiety into action. They take more time to prepare for the worst-case scenarios.
2 types of people
- Strategic optimists: They will perform better if they do something positive before they complete their tasks.
- Defensive pessimists: They are more likely to perform positively if they visualize failure before they complete their tasks.
These two groups succeed best under different circumstances.
Positive and Negative thinking
Thinking positively can hinder people from realizing their goals.
At the same time, pessimists can become paralyzed by stress and fail to take action while those who are overwhelmingly positive are unlikely to experience stress or anxiety.
Harness the power of both mindsets
To get the best out of a positive and negative mindset, visualize the best possible outcome while planning for the worst-case scenario.
Harness your thoughts
Meditation is another way to direct your thought patterns by creating a separation between yourself and your thoughts.
We will encounter many problems along the way, but a good mindset will lead to mental wellness and productivity.
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Defensive Pessimism
- While normally pessimism means blaming yourself for the negative outcomes, defensive pessimism takes this at a whole new level, harnessing the negative feeling and using it as a step...
Setting Low Expectations
Having a defensively pessimistic strategy can help one chart out a course of action to ensure that the mishaps that are envisioned do not turn into reality.
Example: Having a low expectation of an interview, along with brooding about what all could go wrong can help one practice harder and plan to avoid those outcomes.
Pessimism As Insurance
While waiting for a piece of important news, being pessimistic has better health benefits than being overly optimistic.
If the news is not in one’s favour, the optimists take a bigger hit on their wellbeing, experiencing great disappointment, while the pessimists do not suffer as much, as they were already ready to take the hit.
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Defensive Pessimism
Defensive pessimism is a strategy used by people who are anxious about an upcoming event. They set unrealistically low expectations before going into a situation and take steps to avoid poor per...
Self-handicapping
Self-handicapping is where an individual will create obstacles for themselves before an ability-evaluating event. If it turned out poorly, the obstacles became an excuse or explanation for the failure. If it turned out positive, the obstacles became conquered hurdles.
Self-handicapping involves expecting the worst and self-sabotage.
Benefits of Defensive Pessimism
When comparing defensive pessimists to anxious people who do not practice defensive pessimism, the defensive pessimists show these benefits:
- Their self-esteem and satisfaction increase over time.
- They perform better academically
- They form more supportive friendship networks,
- They make more progress in their personal goals.
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Identifying problems
Optimists tend to avoid difficult conversations and this could lead them to miss the opportunity of addressing critical issues.
Pessimists inherently look for the problems more than ...
Hearing only agreement
Pessimists are good role models for those who are "yes men".
If you only have around you people that agree with you, you are being set up for failure.
Unprepared for the downside
Optimists often fail to have a Plan B because they believe they can control all the elements within Plan A.
Pessimists can alert a team regarding the risks that would require a Plan B.