Key Differences Between Pessimism and Optimism (And How to Shift)

The differences between pessimism and optimism are more than how you label the amount of liquid in a glass. In positive psychology, pessimism and optimism represent two distinct mindsets that shape how we view and interact with the world.

Optimism and pessimism exist on a continuum [1]. People on the very optimistic end anticipate the best possible outcomes, no matter how difficult a situation may be. Pessimists hyperfocus on the negative aspects.

While optimism and pessimism are considered personality traits, people may not exhibit them consistently. People often view certain life areas or situations more optimistically than others.Each mindset has its own advantages and limitations. However, a slightly more optimistic perspective is associated with better mental health and higher levels of resilience [2].

Defining optimism and pessimism

You can think of optimism and pessimism as filters that our brains use to interpret and understand the world. At their extremes, neither mindset offers a complete view of reality.

Imagine two people preparing a highly anticipated turkey dinner for their guests. Unfortunately, the bird comes out of the oven very, very burned.

An optimistic person may see the humor in the situation, laugh it off, and order a pizza for their guests. A pessimist may worry excessively about not meeting their guests’ expectations and how this failure reflects on their capabilities. The same situation results in different interpretations.

So why is that two people can view the same circumstances in opposite ways?

Psychologists have a few theories.

Attribution style

While studying depression, famed positive psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman noticed that people often told themselves stories to explain the causes of uncontrollable events [3].

He found that people with depression were more likely to believe that negative outcomes were due to permanent or unchangeable causes. Conversely, depressed people were also more likely to view positive outcomes as random or due to luck and chance [4].

Seligman developed the term attribution style to describe his findings. People with a pessimistic attribution style interpreted negative events as more stable and representative of reality than positive ones. Someone with an optimistic attribution style would have the exact opposite interpretation and chalk a negative outcome to chance or temporary circumstances.

Situation: Burning the turkey dinner

Cognitive bias

Another way to define optimism and pessimism is as a type of bias. Our brains use biases like mental shortcuts to quickly assess a situation. We can exhibit both optimistic and negative biases.

Optimism bias

When the brain employs an optimism bias, it minimizes the potential of failure or harm and amplifies the chances of success. Most people view their own life outcomes through an optimistic lens. When surveyed, people are more likely to believe they will live longer than average, or that they are more likely than others to achieve their dreams [5].

This is not because people blindly believe that good things will happen to them. Instead, the optimism bias is often a reflection of how much control people believe they have over the outcome. People are also more optimistically biased towards events they interpret as rare or infrequent, an echo of Seligman’s findings on attribution.

The optimism bias can encourage important behaviors, such as calculated risk-taking and going after new opportunities. On the other hand, the optimism bias can cause people to ignore negative but distant consequences, such as the harmful effects of smoking or not exercising. Neuroscientist Tali Sharot demonstrates the downsides of the optimism bias through a fun experiment:

What Would You Do Here? The Optimism Bias Experiment.

The optimism bias doesn’t apply to every situation. People who have had direct experience with an adverse event have a more realistic understanding of the chances of that event occurring. People also have a more pessimistic view of other people’s outcomes.

Negativity bias

The negativity bias arises due to our brain’s need for immediate decision-making. Since negative events can have serious long-term outcomes, our brains tend to devote more energy and attention to negative information [6]. For this reason, criticisms tend to stick with us longer than praise. Likewise, news articles about crashing economies and war attract more attention than reports on more positive topics.

A negative bias can lead to unhealthy thinking patterns, known as cognitive distortions [7]. Two types of cognitive distortions, catastrophizing and personalization, are similar to the global and internal thinking patterns found in the pessimistic attribution style.

Dispositional optimism/pessimism

Looking on the bright side of things comes more easily to some people than it does for others. When optimism is a stable personality trait, it is referred to as dispositional.

Dispositional optimism correlates with the traits in the Big Five personality assessment [8]. Optimistic people tend to be more extraverted and agreeable. They are also less neurotic and demonstrate more emotional stability.

Like other personality traits, dispositional optimism is thought to have genetic and environmental factors. Children with optimistic mothers are more likely to be optimistic themselves [9]. There is also some evidence that religious beliefs can contribute to dispositional optimism.

People who are more neurotic and less extraverted tend to display dispositional pessimism [10]. People with dispositional pessimism can have a more difficult time coping with stress and negative triggers [11]. Dispositional pessimism is also correlated with higher rates of mood disorders and poor physical health [12].

Strategies for a more optimistic mindset

A healthy dose of pessimism is important for countering unrealistically rosy interpretations. However, focusing too much on the negative side of life is not good for your mental health.

For many years, psychologists believed that optimism was an innate trait that could not change over time. However, recent studies have indicated that pessimistic people can shift their mindset and start to view the world in a more positive light.

Learned Optimism

When Dr. Martin Seligman realized that a pessimistic attribution style can contribute to depression, he began to think about how to counter its effects [13].

In his 2006 book Learned Optimism, Seligman describes a cognitive model that people can use to challenge pessimistic explanations for negative events. By following the steps in the ABCDE model, people can learn to view their problems through a more optimistic lens.

Positive Thinking

People with a negative bias or pessimistic disposition tend to ignore evidence of positivity. Positive thinking is a cognitive strategy that encourages people to pay equal or more attention to positive outcomes. Practicing gratitude and mindfulness can increase optimism by redirecting focus on the more positive aspects of life.