Optimism and pessimism are attitudes which affect the way we see the world and what is happening around us. Optimists see success as the result of their own hard work, whereas a pessimist views success as being the result of good luck or fate.

Optimists see something like the loss of a job as a short term problem or the result of a lack of work in their field. They tell themselves that they will work hard to find another job, and as a result, another job will be secured. A pessimist sees a job loss as someone else’s doing: their boss does not like them, the system is against them, and/or life is not fair. When a pessimist loses their job, they see it as a huge barrier. They may even take it to the extent that they will never find work again.

In his long-running research and best-selling book Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, Dr. Martin Seligman describes how differently optimists and pessimists view the world. He also teaches how to shift our thinking to be more optimistic. The benefits to optimism are indisputable, as evidenced by repeated studies. Optimists have better overall health, live longer, and are able to more easily adapt to even the most harsh or horrible circumstances. Pessimists on the other hand, suffer more incidents of ill health, including increased clinical depression and anxiety.