The Downsides of Optimism

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“It is possible to have too much of a good thing.”~Aesop

Aesop (620–560 bc) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller, credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop’s Fables (my personal favorite is The Ant and the Grasshopper). Maybe Aesop was the first to convey the idea that too much of a good thing turns a good thing sour, but the sentiment has become widely held. Too much of anything makes that thing less special, and eventually could potentially turn a thing repulsive. Imagine if you had to eat cake every day. For a while you’d probably enjoy it, then you probably wouldn’t want it, then you might be repulsed by cake altogether. I wanted to know: could the same be true of optimism? Optimism isn’t tangible necessarily, and the term “blind optimism” carries a negative connotation, synonymous with carelessness, ignorance, and oblivion.

Researchers have agreed that optimism is generally really good and healthy. Optimism has been linked to everything from improved pain tolerance to increased longevity. Optimistic people live happier, healthier, longer lives than pessimists. And, having a steadily positive outlook changes our brains for the better, activating the same systems that tend to malfunction in people with depression (read more on that here…