What Are The Downsides To Extreme Optimism 27 May, 2022   

The post is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.

We prefer to think of ourselves as reasonable and logical, but research shows that our brains can be overconfident in our own abilities at times. Divorce, illness, losing your job, or being in an accident are all situations that most people underestimate the likelihood of ever experiencing.

It turns out that optimism works best in little doses. A new study found that those who have a positive attitude on life are more likely to make wise financial decisions than those who are pessimistic. However, those who are absolute optimists are more likely to make risky investments and preserve less money than others. Learn more about the potential pitfalls of being a blind optimist here, as well. 

Health Problems Caused By Stress

People who are hopeful but not overly pessimistic tend to be healthier. But the blinded optimists—in their efforts to attain unreasonable expectations—feel overwhelmed and frustrated when things don't go their way.

Chronic stress can have a negative impact on one's mental and physical health. People with an overly positive attitude on life tend to overlook little challenges. However, as time goes on, these minor troubles build in intensity and frequency, and they can lead to a high degree of stress.

When things don't go according to plan, these folks obsess over the reasons for it. Making predictions that support their distorted worldview is driving them crazy.

Not meeting Important Deadlines

It's common for optimists to think that numerous events will occur at the same time, which leads to the planning fallacy.

Predicting the result of an event is nearly impossible when multiple timelines involving numerous characters and various variables are involved.

A pessimist would estimate a fifteen-minute journey time, but a traffic delay could make it take much longer. Optimism does not take into account these practical issues. A pessimist begins the journey ten minutes early to account for any unexpected events, and he or she usually arrives ten minutes ahead of schedule.

Relationship Difficulties 

For the blind optimist's lovers, the only way to deal with real-life issues is to face them on their own. People who are extremely optimistic ignore negative feelings. Because of this, optimists lack psychological flexibility when they engage in this type of conduct. In close relationships, a lack of empathy can lead to rifts that are difficult to repair.

Being Wishy-Washy About Friendships

Disillusionment can set in for an optimist if those around him or her begin to question the veracity of his or her vision. Optimists like the company of fellow optimists since they have a common belief.

A pessimist or a person who doesn't share one's objectives and aspirations may be perceived as an optimist who disagrees with a difficult goal. Those who are very pessimistic about the future may consider others to be less human since they don't believe in the unpredictability of events.

Spending More Than You Have

It doesn't matter to optimists if the budget is respected or not, because they are so confident that everything will work out well. Optimists may overestimate a venture's future revenues, therefore it's perfectly rational to invest a little or a lot more than originally planned. People that are optimistic tend to be a lot more forgiving, even if it comes at the expense of others. For optimists, saving for a rainy day goes against the grain.