Can You Be Too Optimistic?

Chances are, either someone has suggested you be more optimistic or you have been told that you are too optimistic. While optimism can help you keep your head up, look for creative solutions, and take risks, it is possible to be too optimistic.

If you are a pessimist, let this article provide some talking points the next time someone accuses you of being too down. If you are an optimist, let this article be a warning to you that it is indeed possible to take that bright attitude too far.

Extreme Optimists May Be Too Likely To Take Risks

One of the dangers of too much optimism comes from the kind of environment that allows excess optimism to become a problem.
In order for optimism to thrive, the optimist must exist in an environment that encourages risks and provides supportive networks. While this is a good environment to exist in, if it goes too far it can begin to reward superfluous risk taking and stop holding people accountable for their mistakes.

Extreme Optimists May Dump Too Many Resources On A Problem

Similarly, because optimists tend to find external causes for failure rather than thinking that they were the problem too much optimism can lead optimists to a sense of overconfidence.

It can be all too easy for pessimists to blame themselves for mistakes, but this often leads them into a pattern of self-limiting behavior that keeps them from getting into further trouble.

Optimists, on the other hand, often identify external causes of failure, which they see as variables that they can attempt to change in future ventures. This means that the overly optimistic can wind up endlessly throwing themselves at the same problem spending unnecessary time and resources changing minute details of operation until they find a solution.

While they are likely to eventually find a solution, it will likely be one that was not worth the efforts involved but which will further fuel the optimist's sense of success and self-worth leading them to take on yet more daunting projects.

Extreme Optimists May Be Blind To Their Own Successes

Optimists don't only see the source of problems differently, they tend to perceive outcomes differently. Optimists tend to have high standards of success, meaning that despite the fact that they see problems of external – where there are likely more problems to see – optimists are less likely to be satisfied with the outcome.

Pessimists, on the other hand, tend to have lower standards. They are also more likely to see problems as being their own fault. As a result, pessimists are more likely to be satisfied with success than optimists are.

A completed task that is a shining success to the pessimist may seem like a loss to the optimist despite having at least met the lowest criteria for success. This same completed task might be seen almost as a loss by the optimist who likely wanted to go above and beyond the call.

Extreme Optimists May Be Blind To Life's Dangers
Classic optimism, the idea that everything is always fine, can evolve into blind optimism.

Blind optimists will focus on the good in their lives and avoid thinking about harsh realities. This often leads them to be caught off guard when negative consequences catch up to them.

While most psychologists agree that optimists are better at dealing with life's issues than pessimists are, it seems that pessimists are better at actually keeping those issues at bay by allowing themselves to be aware of potential challenges in their lives.

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