Positive Pessimism

Being pessimistic is seen as negative and it is seen as being something that is generally associated with unhappy people.  I refute that view for a number of reasons but the main reason is the most identifiable trait of a pessimist - that they expect the worst case scenario.  It is wrongly assumed that most pessimistic people expect this scenario because it is what they want, this is not true, what we want and what we expect are two different things.  If you always expect to get what you want then you're setting yourself up for misery.

The purpose of expecting the worst case scenario is not to be negative at all.  The purpose is to be prepared and to be ready for that outcome.  Being prepared for an outcome that never happens is not a bad thing.  When you expect the worst case scenario, everything else becomes a positive.  If you hold the middle ground like an optimist and expect the median or better then you cut the scope of your positivity.  To the extreme the compliment of a pessimist is a perfectionist - who expects the best possible outcome; this drastically reduces the scope of their positivity.

If I have a random number generator that can pick numbers between 1 and 100, and offer you prizes of appropriate value associated with each number, with number 1 being the only one without a prize, then:

A pessimist will expect #1
An optimist will expect around #50 or above
A perfectionist will expect #100 with the best possible prize

In terms of probability of happiness we can then say:

The pessimist has a 99% chance of being happy and 1% chance of being indifferent, with 0% chance of disappointment.  This is because they expect #1 so if they get it they will get what they were expecting therefore not be disappointed.  Everything else is a positive therefore brings a degree of happiness.

The optimist has a 50% chance of being happy and a 49% chance of being disappointed and 1% chance of being indifferent.  This is because #1 to #49 are less than they expected therefore bring disappointment, #50 is right where they expect, bringing indifference, and #51 to #100 inclusive bring something better than expected therefore bringing happiness.

The perfectionist is an odd one as they have no indifference, they are not happy with anything less than #100, but getting #100 makes them happy - as opposed to indifference of the others when they get what they expect.  They therefore have a 1% chance of happiness and a 99% chance of disappointment.

The purpose of pessimism is not to want or desire negativity, it is simply to brace for it and prepare, everything else then becomes a positive.  People think that pessimists lead unhappy lives, while I have down days no more than anyone else I would feel, I am generally a very happy person and can be quite content with what I have.  I did say what you expect and what you want are two different things though, expecting negative outcomes is not to say that is what I want, far from it.  I want what everyone else does - to grow and to experience new things and to have more than I have.  The only difference is every little thing that improves is appreciated by a pessimist.  Of course this also means that the worst possible outcome also affects their willingness to make a decision to the point where they become overly cautious and do not risk anything they are not prepared to lose.

Someone who expects negativity and wants negativity is not a pessimist.  They're a cynic.  A cynical mindset can be quite destructive.

To quote Oscar Wilde on the definition of a Cynic,
"A man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing."

To quote G B Stern on the importance of pessimism existing:
"Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute."

Finally a quote from myself:
"Pessimism is not inherently a bad thing, you just need to recognise when it is holding you back and when you need to put it aside to move forward."