# Are you an optimist or a pessimist? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 7, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124 "2011-11-07T01:45:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124/21 "2011-11-07T15:14:30Z")
I’m a pragmatist and I’ll typically respond to the “glass half empty or half full” question with “the glass is not the appropriate size for the amount of liquid”. Basically, at times it makes sense to expect the best and at other times it makes sense to expect the worst. For instance, when I would prepare for an exam, I would expect the hardest possible topics and prepare myself for the most difficult exam I could reasonably expect; if I were to be optimistic that it would be relatively easy, I would be inadequately prepared. OTOH, after taking the exam, I would be confident that I performed well and expect that I got a good grade; if I were pessimistic, it would serve no purpose since there’s nothing I can do about it. Being one or the other all the time or a majority of the time makes no sense because it is without context. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124/22 "2011-11-07T15:18:09Z")
Extreme pessimist ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124/23 "2011-11-07T15:24:19Z")
The best and worst moments in my life do not exactly match up with the best and worst physical circumstances in my life. Instead, they match up with my mental state. I have had to deal with multiple deaths, heartbreaks, new beginnings, unemployment, etc. in my life, and when I stay optimistic I can handle my setbacks much better. So I make it a point to try to stay optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124/24 "2011-11-07T15:47:10Z")
Extremely cynical pessimist. I was a lot more optimistic when I was a teenager, but that was beaten out of me over the years. My glass isn’t half empty, it’s been smashed. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124/25 "2011-11-07T16:07:44Z")
I am a realist. If it is an 8 oz glass, then it doesn’t matter if it is half full or half empty, what matters is that it there are 4 ounces remaining. I guess I tend to pessimism, as I find optimism irritating; I’ve just spent too much of my life fixing things after optimists got in over their heads. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124/26 "2011-11-07T17:21:04Z")
I don’t do eye exams or urinalyses, so I chose neither. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124/27 "2011-11-07T17:39:18Z")
I see nothing to be optimistic about ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124/28 "2011-11-07T19:54:00Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Is it a question of what we **expect** , or of what we **focus on**? > > If it’s a matter of what we focus on—like, being thankful for what you do have instead of miserable for what you don’t have, which is what the “glass half full vs. half empty” thing implies—I try, at least, to be an optimist. > > If it’s a matter of what we expect to happen to us… I guess my natural tendency is to expect that nothing particularly good **or** particularly bad will generally happen to me. This describe me, too, more or less. I was going to add qualifiers, but I thought I’d keep it simple. I’m actually surprised by the results so far. I thought that pessimists here on the Dope would outnumber optimists by at least 2 to 1. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124/29 "2011-11-07T20:02:38Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I am a realist. It often seems like pessimism until they learn **I was right,** dammit. This is hilarious because my husband always complains about my pessimism…and I turn out to be right most of the time. Drives his optimistic self crazy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-optimist-or-a-pessimist/602124.md?page=1)