'Is the glass half-empty or half-full?' is a question that perfectly encapsulates the difference between optimistic and pessimistic thinking. Are you guilty of taking the ‘half-empty’ side? And does it happen often — too often — for your liking? Then maybe it’s time for a change in behaviour. So, read on to learn more about pessimistic thinking and how to control it.

The Effects of Pessimistic Thinking

To be pessimistic is to think that things will probably go wrong and that your goals or wishes are unlikely to be fulfilled. It’s an attitude characterized by a negative outlook, but this isn’t inherently bad. The right amount of pessimism can make a person more grounded, and have more realistic expectations. However, too much can negatively affect both your mental and physical wellbeing.

An overly pessimistic outlook on life can take a toll on your mental health. It can worsen your mood and increase your stress levels. This, in turn, can make it more difficult for you to focus. Pessimistic thinking is also known to contribute to depression and anxiety disorders.

But more than that, your physical health can also suffer from too much pessimism. It can put you at risk of heart disease and even affect your mortality. Dr. Bryan Robinson, a professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, writes that those with pessimistic outlooks are at a greater risk of dying early. A study from this year affirms this as it found that a person’s perspective can influence their life expectancy. Findings show that pessimists are more likely to die earlier — specifically, two years earlier — than non-pessimists. Side effects like this are precisely why we need to keep our pessimism at a healthy degree. Anything more is detrimental to our health.

Here are some tips to do just that:

Tips to Temper Your Pessimism

1. Tap into your hormones

This first tip involves some biohacking. Lamia Pardo previously explained here on the Journify blog that there are four hormones we can “hack” to boost our happiness. These are dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. Each of these hormones is activated by different activities, so by incorporating them into our daily routines, we can, in a sense, “hack” our bodies into feeling happy. Try setting small goals and celebrating when you complete them to stimulate your body to create dopamine, or take a quick walk under the sun for some serotonin. The more happy hormones we have in our system, the more difficult it is for us to zero in on pessimistic thoughts.

2. Be more mindful

For the next tip, we’ll be focusing on controlling emotions and why that’s important. Amy Quarton, an associate professor at Maryville University’s online organizational leadership degree program, recommends checking in with your thoughts regularly and watching out for signs that you’re heading down a negative spiral. Meditation and yoga help, but if you’re not up for it, Quarton told NBC News that it’s also a good idea to pause and get the noise out of your mind. “Write in a journal or make voice recordings on a smart device,” says Quarton. “You don’t have to keep your entries; the goal is to express your thoughts and feelings in a safe environment instead of dwelling on them.” So, if you prefer writing to talking, we’d recommend journaling. A notebook, a smartphone, or even an old scrap of paper will do, so long as you’re able to jot down your thoughts. But if you’re more of a talker, we recommend the Audio Journal App like Journify, which you can use anytime. All it takes is five minutes. Plus, you get to decide what happens to your recordings. Whichever method you choose, make sure you’re true to yourself. Don’t try to mask your emotions, and just let them flow out.

3. Limit your time reading the news

Why the news, you ask? Well, Steven Pinker, a professor of psychology at Harvard University has written about the connection between the news and pessimistic thinking. These days, we only ever see news about countries at war, the rising number of those infected by COVID-19, or whatever else is depressing enough to make an article about. Good news is hard to come by, and that’s why Pinker says we should limit our time on news sites and avoid doom-scrolling. It’s possible to be informed while still controlling your pessimistic thoughts.

About the Author:

Donna Longton is an entrepreneur and blogger. She loves long walks on the beach with her dog, Piper.

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