Why being a pessimist isn’t so bad after all...

“I think human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution. We became too self-aware. Nature created an aspect of nature separate from itself - we are creatures that should not exist by natural law... We are things that labour under the illusion of having a self, that accretion of sensory experience and feelings, programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody, when in fact everybody's nobody... I think the honourable thing for our species to do is to deny our programming. Stop reproducing, walk hand in hand into extinction - one last midnight, brothers and sisters opting out of a raw deal. ”

This pessimism is dangerous, to be clear we’re here talking about defensive pessimism.

Pessimism gets a bad rap since it's regularly connected with doom and negativity, yet for many people, being a pessimist doesn't mean expecting the most exceedingly bad of each situation or blinding themselves from what's good in life. It's an approach to mentally and emotionally get ready for what may turn out bad. You know, if it does.

Why being a pessimist isn’t so bad

If someone stands you up, it’s fine because you weren’t expecting much from them anyway.

Though people are often encouraged to think positive, and stay positive, in order to maximize success at work or school, defensive pessimists -- or those who typically approach a potentially stressful event by envisioning what could go wrong -- actually tend to perform well because of their pessimism

A study even suggests that pessimists actually face less risk of disability or death than their optimist counterparts.

But if something’s not going well, a pessimist knows when to give in instead of getting stuck on an impossible task.

“Because you’re just being realistic.”