The situation: Jane and Anthony have differing ways of viewing world. Jane is a pessimist (the glass is half-empty), while Anthony is an optimist (the glass is half-full). These outlooks influence how they experience similar situations.Scene 1: Job loss. Jane is devastated, convincing herself that she is all washed up, she can never catch a break, it is useless for her to try to be successful, and she is never going to succeed at anything.
Anthony, however, has a healthier inner dialogue. He tells himself he may not have been good at that particular job, his skills and his company’s needs did not mesh and being fired was only a temporary setback in his career.
Scene 2: New jobs. Offered a new job, Jane, pessimist, believes she was able to find a new job only because her industry is now really desperate for people and must have lowered their standards to hire her.
Anthony, however, feels he landed new job because his talents were finally recognized and he will now be appreciated for what he can do.
As these examples illustrate, optimists tend to interpret their troubles as transient, controllable and specific to situations. Recent research by Dr. Martin Seligman confirms this.
When good things happen, optimists believe causes are permanent, resulting from traits and abilities. Optimists further believe that good events will enhance everything they do.
Pessimists, on other hand, believe their troubles will last forever, will undermine everything they do, and are basically beyond their control. When good things happen to pessimists, they see them as temporary and caused by specific factors that will eventually change and lead to negative outcomes.
Optimism creates better resistance to depression when bad events strike, better performance at work and better physical health.
In fact, one long term study at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, found that optimists lived 19% longer than pessimists.