Making Yourself Miserable to Succeed?

PeterAitch writes "Nature is reporting that expecting the worst - emotional cushioning - does not usually make you feel any better when you flunk or flop. The reported study indicates that you are just making yourself miserable. On the flip-side, people who are anxious are more likely to motivate themselves better to prepare for the forthcoming ordeal - defensive pessimists. Those with a generally sunny outlook on life expect to succeed and tend to deny responsibility when they perform badly."

Comments

Forget it.

[PCM2]

I'm not going to click on that link. The article's going to suck anyway.

Re:Forget it.

[aevan]

Nah, click it, just don't expect much from it. :)

Denial

[massivefoot]

tend to deny responsibility when they perform badly

Ah yes, "blamestorming".

I believe my liver is diseased...

[brian0918]

Dostoyevsky was right all along.

going for first post!

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm going for first post! And if I don't make it, then, well, it's not my fault.

Your right. Here's my proof:

[IAAP]

FTFA in a Nutshell: Sadly, this means there is no simple advice about whether we ought to expect the worst. This study "is part of a very large puzzle", Norem says.

I fucking knew it!

Bottom Line

[Shky]

Sadly, this means there is no simple advice about whether we ought to expect the worst.

So keep doing whatever you usually do, seems to be the advice here.

Unless, of course, you're a pessimist. In that case, you probably think you're wrong and you'll change to thinking positively, but the positive thinkers already thought they were right, so they'll keep thinking positive... So, I predict, everyone will soon be optimists, if this study gets around.

I'm pretty confident that I'm correct... See, it's already begun!

Mod this!

[Tablizer]

Please don't mod me down. I am paranoid that you are going to mod me down and ruin my Karma. So I beg you, please please don't mod me down. If you do, I'll tell your mother, you filthy me-hating slimebag!

reminds me of a bartenders advice

[Pompatus]

An australian bartender I know always says, "cheer up, mate. It's just gonna get worse". Words of wisdom.

Pessimist club

[Linknoid]

When I was in college, there was an Optimist Club that met in our cafeteria once a month or so. I always talked about starting a pessimist club to make fun of their club, but I never got enough motivation to do it because I figured I'd never be able to get anyone to join.

Re:Pessimist club

[ErikInterlude]

In high school, we had a Procrastinator's Club. Every week the school newspaper would have an announcement that the weekly meeting of the club was put off to the following week. About a month and a half later the school administrators figured out the joke and put a stop to it.

Re:The Triumph of Optimism Over Experience

[value_added]

I'm not going to click on that link. The article's going to suck anyway.

I clicked it. And it sucked.

Somehow I think this is all your fault.

Re:Perhaps Joni Mitchell said it best...

[myowntrueself]

"Christ, what a load of crap."

Careful, you will start a holy war with talk like that... next it'll be a cartoon featuring a depiction of Jesus Christ making disparaging remarks about Joni Mitchell then there will be flag burning and embassies being assaulted...

You can always find the optimists

[TallMatthew]

Because they're happy and they know it.

They clap their hands.