This article was developed via a partnership with BetterHelp.
Many a well-meaning person has cheerfully quipped “look at the bright side!” when a friend or loved one is undergoing something difficult. Countless inspirational quotes encourage people to engage in practices that would qualify as optimistic endeavors. Is optimism as powerful as people claim, or is something else even better to encourage optimal mental health and life satisfaction?
Optimism: A Guide
What exactly is optimism? Optimism is an outlook or a disposition that focuses on the “good” in life, or continually seeks out the brighter side of things, as articles on the subject will testify. Optimism can be seen as a simple practice (waking up every morning and finding something to be grateful for), or a more robust one, wherein the vast majority of situations are regarded as having a silver lining or a potentially beneficial outcome.
Optimism has been linked to improved health outcomes, quality of life, and even responses to stress. Optimism has been pinpointed as a contributing factor to successfully accomplishing goals, adhering to those same goals, and overcoming adverse events or circumstances.
What has been evaluated less than the effects of optimism is the origin of optimism. It is not known whether or not optimism is largely adopted in childhood, or is a practice engaged intentionally and willfully.
Realism: An Introduction
Realism is a point of view that embraces what is real, observable, and possible. A realistic viewpoint is one that takes evidence into account and translates that evidence into a point of view or actionable patterns. Where optimism focuses on the positive and pessimism focuses on the negative, realism is neutral in its appraisal of things, shifting between positivity and negativity as the situation requires.
While optimism has been linked to improved mental health and general life satisfaction, realism has been similarly tied to improved mental health and general health. Research has suggested that this may be the case because realism focuses on finding a middle ground and taking existing factors into account, rather than catastrophizing (pessimism) or idealizing (optimism).
Is One Truly Better Than the Other?
Evidence suggests that both can be beneficial for improved quality of life and can positively impact your ability to recover from adverse events, including trauma, job loss, and grief. Realism has been identified as perhaps having a slight advantage over optimism, in that optimism can inspire greater disappointment when idealized events do not come to pass, whereas realism may have a better grip on what is likely to be possible or is likely to occur. Realism should not be mistaken for settling or defeatism, both of which fall more under the purview of pessimism. For instance, realism does not mean that, while living in poverty, it is best to assume that living in poverty is inevitable. Instead, realism might mean understanding that no longer living in poverty will require hard work, sacrifice, and may be an uncomfortable journey. Realism and defeat should not be used interchangeably, and suggesting that they are related (or synonymous) suggests misunderstanding the purpose and practice of realism.
Optimism and Realism in Daily Life
Optimism is often hailed as a cure-all for countless mental concerns and ailments. Realism has similarly been identified as a way to prevent decreased quality of life and mental health ailments. In daily life, both can be used as a practice—that is to say, an intentional and consistent implementation of thought processes and behaviors. No one is entirely optimistic at every turn, nor is anyone wholly realistic at every moment. Instead, people shift into certain mindsets and belief systems depending on the event, the impact it has on them, and the mental state they are in when an upset occurs. Using either optimism or realism, you can learn to effectively navigate these ups and downs, and enjoy a greater quality of life.