I have always thought that being a pessimist has been good for me. I always argue that if I'm not expecting anything good to happen then I can't be let down and when things do go my way I am overjoyed. Of course, there is something to be said for being optimistic enough to actually try things, but I don't have that problem, I still try and it will either go my way or it won't, so maybe I'm not 100% pessimistic or is it that I'm not 0% optimistic. This article in The Washington Post on Monday reiterates my point and this quote hits the nail on the head.
Put another way, a hidden price of being happier on average is that you put your short-term contentment at risk, because being happy raises your expectations about being happy. When good things happen, they don't count for much because they are what you expect. When bad things happen, you temporarily feel terrible, because you've gotten used to being happy.
Put another way, a hidden price of being happier on average is that you put your short-term contentment at risk, because being happy raises your expectations about being happy. When good things happen, they don't count for much because they are what you expect. When bad things happen, you temporarily feel terrible, because you've gotten used to being happy.
*My niece is probably not a pessimist, but I liked the crying picture.
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