Optimistic Illusions: Why You Don’t Need to Learn Positive Thinking
Psychologist and former president of the American Psychological Association, Martin Seligman from the University of Pennsylvania, along with his colleagues, discusses the pros and cons of optimism. The news portal knife.media also offers examples of how optimism can, in some ways, lead to negative emotions.
In today’s world, science shows that being enlightened is indeed good for your health, even though an overly rosy outlook can make people mix up “cocktails” that would be impossible to combine in a sober mind.
Seligman spent thirty years studying depression, but in his inaugural speech, he suddenly stated that researchers had been looking in the wrong direction all this time: instead of focusing on those whose lives are going badly, we should look at those who can serve as examples—those who are energetic, healthy, and content.
According to Seligman, optimism is a special way of thinking where a person sees all positive events as natural and logical, while failures are seen as random and unrelated to their own personality.
Flat, marketing-style optimism (“Find a ray of sunshine in every day!”) is different from another kind of optimism that’s so widespread in our culture that it’s unclear why anyone would need to learn it. It’s summed up by the phrase, “Everything will be fine!”
Sure, we’re not being chased by saber-toothed tigers anymore, but rose-colored glasses can still be harmful. Here’s how:
1. We Misperceive Ourselves
Neuroscientist Tali Sharot believes that the tendency toward optimism is a cognitive illusion present in 80% of people. This trait is obvious in surveys: “How well do you drive? How attractive/interesting/honest and modest are you compared to others?” Most people rate themselves “above average” in all these areas, which is statistically impossible and just plain nonsense. If you’re behind the wheel, you’re sure you’re the only decent driver on the street—everyone else is unconsciously pressing the wrong pedals and turning the wheel the wrong way. Ask any newlywed about the chances of getting divorced. Then show them the statistics.
2. We Make Unrealistic Plans
When starting important work, it’s better to think not about Paulo Coelho and the universe conspiring in your favor, but about the “planning fallacy.” This term was introduced by behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman and his colleague Amos Tversky to describe a cognitive bias linked to excessive optimism and underestimating how long tasks will take (it usually takes much longer than expected). Studies confirm that people confidently believe they’ll finish a term paper, complete a project before the deadline, or quickly build a stadium like “Zenit Arena”—all as if it’s totally realistic. And, as scientists have found, past experience doesn’t affect people’s optimism.
3. We Make More Mistakes
Scientists don’t recommend hiring people who are always radiating joy. Many managers sense this intuitively and try to dampen their employees’ moods. For example, research shows that people in a bad mood have better memory. Other experiments demonstrate that debaters with a negative attitude find more convincing arguments than their cheerful opponents. So if you’re invited to a debate, don’t believe the optimism hype—try to put yourself in a more serious, even somber, frame of mind.
4. The “Think Positive!” Dogma Can Make Things Worse
Researchers at the University of Queensland in 2012 came to a paradoxical conclusion: when people think everyone around them expects constant positivity, they actually experience more negative emotions.
Or take positive affirmations. You smile at your reflection in the mirror, look at the bags under your eyes, but success psychology insists that self-suggestion works better than a cold compress. Canadian psychologist Joanne Wood asked students to repeat the statement, “I am a lovable person,” and then observed how their self-esteem changed after this rather awkward exercise. And it did change—but only for those who were already confident. Those who rated themselves lower actually felt even more uncomfortable.
It seems that humanity has gone a bit overboard with the idea of “Look at life with optimism.” Sometimes it’s okay to be a little nervous or even a downer: don’t force yourself to enjoy a snowflake in your eye, don’t have fun at a bad party, and don’t pretend to be happy when there’s no reason to be.