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Pessimists survive longer according to study

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tweety_fan
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28 Feb 2013, 11:30 pm

OLDER people who look on the darker side of life tend to live longer than optimists, who in turn face an increased risk of illness and mortality, a new study by a German research institute has found.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health ... z2MG8Angh9



xenon13
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01 Mar 2013, 2:45 am

"Always expect the worst and you'll survive".



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01 Mar 2013, 5:24 pm

Seeing everything as s**t can lead you to avoid it, and consequently, your chances for survival increase.


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CyborgUprising
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01 Mar 2013, 7:04 pm

Yet another benefit of being a pessimist. :P



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01 Mar 2013, 7:21 pm

Just got a mental image of the scene from Drew Carey Show when the optimist club were trying to cross the busy street outside Winfred and Louder...


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Fogman
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02 Mar 2013, 8:05 am

Optimism =Naiivity.

Pessimism=Knowlege of the reality of the human condition.


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ruveyn
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02 Mar 2013, 10:34 am

Oh joy! If this is true, I am good for another ten years...



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02 Mar 2013, 11:28 am

I'm gonna be around for a long time.
The glass is half full and it's poison!


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Fogman
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02 Mar 2013, 12:03 pm

ruveyn wrote:
Oh joy! If this is true, I am good for another ten years...


Don't worry, you'll probably get run over by an Ice Cream truck. :lol:


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DerStadtschutz
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02 Mar 2013, 12:50 pm

I wish an ice cream truck would run me over...



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02 Mar 2013, 12:52 pm

So if you read this and think "that sucks, what pessimist wants to live longer?"

you're out of luck, right? :lol:



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02 Mar 2013, 1:41 pm

That is because pessimists are often pleasantly surprised. They start the day with low expectations and then it turns out that either they are right, or the day turns out even better than they thought.
Optimists on the other hand live their life as a continuous string of disappointments.



Tensu
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16 Mar 2013, 11:25 pm

trollcatman wrote:
That is because pessimists are often pleasantly surprised. They start the day with low expectations and then it turns out that either they are right, or the day turns out even better than they thought.
Optimists on the other hand live their life as a continuous string of disappointments.


That is not what pessimism means.

Pessimism is not having low expectations, it is focusing on the negative. Pessimists do not have pleasant surprises because they do not focus on the good, they focus on the bad. Even if their day is better than expected, they still fixate on what went wrong.

Optimism is not having high expectations, it is looking on the bright side. Optimists do not have a continual string of disappointments because they do not focus on the negative. Even if their day was worse than expected, they fixate on what went right.

I have the feeling this study's results has more to do with people not understanding what those words mean than pessimists actually living longer.

Pessimism and optimism are going down the same road that irony, chaos, and decimate travelled before them.



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17 Mar 2013, 4:35 am

I guess Seneca was right.



ruveyn
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17 Mar 2013, 6:38 am

trollcatman wrote:
That is because pessimists are often pleasantly surprised. They start the day with low expectations and then it turns out that either they are right, or the day turns out even better than they thought.
Optimists on the other hand live their life as a continuous string of disappointments.


My man!



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17 Mar 2013, 11:27 am

I'm neither an optimist (they're annoying) or a pessimist (too depressing).
I'm a realist.


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