The benefits of pessimism

Generally speaking, most of us try to be optimistic whenever possible because it makes life a little easier to cope with if you assume everything will work out. Pessimism has its benefits though, and The Wall Street Journal highlights a few of them.

"Those who are defensively pessimistic about their future may be more likely to invest in preparatory or precautionary measures, whereas we expect that optimists will not be thinking about those things," said Dr Lang, who noted the study controlled for factors such as health and finances, but didn't prove causality.

A study, published last year in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, evaluated the brain response of 16 older adults when processing fearful faces. "Being less bothered by stresses can help in coping," said Dr Jeste, who led the study. "On the other hand, a nonchalant attitude to danger can leave the person poorly prepared to deal with a risky situation when it arises."

Optimism can even be a disadvantage in stressful conditions. A 2011 study involving 250 couples found that overly optimistic people coped worse with stress. The point is less about the stats and more about the line between pessimism and optimism. Just don't go too far either way.