Many scientific studies have shown that your outlook on life can affect your physical and mental health, your lifespan, and your career. Some of us view the world through a half-empty glass, while others see it as half-full. What about you, then? You may be a pessimist and find it difficult to see the positive side of these economic difficulties. Although we cannot always control what happens to us in life, we can change our outlook. Your mental, physical and career success — even your life– could depend on it. No worries if you don’t possess this mindset. It’s something you can cultivate.
The Science of Pessimism Has Deadly Consequences
You didn’t receive the raise you expected. You are constantly interrupted by your boss in meetings. Your idea is stolen by a co-worker. You start to become pessimistic about your work after a period of time. It’s possible that you even begin to anticipate the worst out of habit. It’s a paradox that, if your mind is overly focused on a disappointment in your career, you may find yourself stuck in a negative cycle. A growing body of research indicates that pessimism is detrimental to your career and can even cause you to die early.
Because they are stuck on a problem, disgruntled employees have difficulty seeing the positive side of things, working in a team, thinking outside of the box, and finding solutions. Managers lack confidence in pessimists, and they don’t believe that they can lead. They are not given the top jobs and their career is derailed when they become bogged down in the tasks.
Pessimism is one of the five toxic thought patterns leading to early death. Elizabeth Blackburn, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and Elissa Apel, a health psychologist, studied destructive thoughts that can damage your Telomeres — the protective tips at the ends of chromosomes. Pessimism was identified as one of the five toxic thoughts that reduce life expectancy. It causes shorter telomeres, which are an indication of a shortened life span. Those who are pessimistic are more likely to die two years sooner than those who do not.
