When rules come with exceptions, we will assume that these exceptions apply to us. In situations where confusion reigns due to constantly changing regulations, we will come to our own conclusions. In ambiguous situations, optimists tend to gravitate towards the most positive interpretation of the rules. But if we want to moderate our optimism, we must set aside time to think about these things and discuss our ideas with others. To what extent are the current restrictions about me versus other people? How long is the pandemic likely to be with us? To what extent is COVID-19 a local issue?Īs optimists, our natural inclination is not to spend too much time on questions like this. So it would be helpful for us to challenge our thinking. According to the theory of “ optimistic explanatory style”, an optimistic response arises when a person believes that a negative event is external (caused by someone or something else), that it is unstable (not likely to persist over time), and that it is local (only relates to a particular situation). Cozine/ShutterstockĪnother strategy is to compare our predictions to what experts, specialists and commentators are saying. The glass may be half full, but we still need to act like it might be half empty. But how? A good way to check if we are being excessively optimistic is to ask ourselves: what evidence do I have to support my prediction? If there isn’t any basis for our assumption that, for example, we won’t get coronavirus by entering a closed, crowded space for a long time, we should think about changing our behaviour. Optimists need to rein themselves in a bit during this crisis. By doing this we are putting ourselves and others at risk. Even when we catch the virus, we’re more likely to believe that it is “just a cold” and so more likely to continue going about our daily routines. We also might be less cautious when walking into crowded spaces and less motivated to obey restrictions. We might misjudge our vulnerability to COVID-19, believing without justification that we are less likely to catch it. What is normally a strength of optimists (risk taking) becomes a dangerous weakness.īecause we believe that things will work out well even where there is little evidence to support this perspective, we tend to minimise risks, underestimate costs and ignore warning signs. In situations where danger is present, excessive optimism (sometimes called irrational or unrealistic optimism) can have severe negative consequences. MRacheron/Shutterstock The dark side of optimism Looking on the bright side has its down sides.
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