The Positive Power Of Negative Thinking

Sure, positive people are more likely to make friends, form successful business relationships and brighten a room when they walk through the door. But what about the negative thinkers? The pessimists who stand ready to slap the half-full glass from the happy-go-lucky optimist’s outstretched hand.

According to traditional thinking optimists are peak performers. People – I suspect mostly optimists – quote classic studies on insurance salesmen (carried out by Dr. Martin Seligman) which suggest that a positive outlook is predictive of higher performance.

More recent studies suggest that happiness is also “catching”. Optimists (presumably the ones who don’t use a handkerchief) are more likely to be surrounded by happy people. (So make sure you’re smiling in the profile photo on your Facebook page.)

So what’s to be done to “fix” the pessimists? A better question to ask is…

Do Pessimists Need To Change?

After conducting a series of studies at the University of New South Wales, psychology professor Joseph Forgas found that positive thinkers don’t have it all their own way. It turns out pessimists pay more attention to the world around them. For example, in one experiment, negative thinkers were more accurate eye witnesses after observing a staged mugging. (I can’t help but wonder, were the pessimists surprised that they weren’t the ones being mugged?)

Pessimists are also less likely to rely on mental shortcuts and so less gullible and less prone to errors of judgment. (Perhaps a pessimist’s outlook isn’t so cluttered with kittens and smiley faces.)

Meeting In The Middle

Positive thinking is neither good nor bad. It’s vital to be able to switch back-and-forth between extreme positive and negative points of view; a cognitive skill that’s crucial for decision making and problem solving.

Negative people begin by imagining all the things that can go wrong. And, while this can definitely be a total downer for anyone feeling pumped and ready to rock and roll, it’s nonetheless an essential analytical skill.

And while optimists may be prone to seeing the positive in a negative event, are they as naturally skilled at seeing the negative in a seemingly positive event? Unlikely. (The optimists are so focused on seeing the gold at the end of the rainbow, they generally forget an umbrella to keep off the rain.)

Still, luckily for them – and, let’s face it, optimists always feel lucky – their pessimistic colleagues can spot the pitfalls in a master plan before the project is even underway. Yep, “stinking thinking” has its benefits.

Whatever your initial point of view, it’s vital to look for disconfirming evidence. And for an optimist, what better place to seek an opposing point of view than asking the cranky guy down the hall? He can help you map out tactical responses to a range of problematic “what  if” scenarios. And, after recruiting his (or her) points of view, you’ll be in a far better position to take action in a thought out, mindful direction.

Bottom line: Embrace the pessimists, it might pump up your chances of success.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? When evaluating a project, what thinking skills do you bring to the table? Speak your mind in the box below…