Can You Change From A Pessimistic To An Optimist?

Humans: Born Optimists?

In addition to our unique ability to form complex social structures and cooperate with each other, risk-taking is one of those wonderful things that defines humanity. None of the technology, art, and engineering we see all around us would have been possible without that exceptional willingness to take risks — or leaps of faith, if you want to put this in more "optimistic" terms — and without the ability to get up and try again, and again, and again in the face of failure. 

We, humans, are all born optimists. Research shows, for instance, that even when we're confronted with a very high statistical likelihood of bad outcomes, such as divorce rates, the risk of dying from smoking, or odds of winning the lottery, we don't believe those stats apply to us — we believe that we, personally, are different, and that we, personally, can defy the odds. 

Can You Change From A Pessimist Into An Optimist?

First off, should you want to? Well — research does indicate that people stuck in a cycle of negative thought patterns have a higher tendency towards depression and other diagnosable mental states. Pessimism, as we saw already, can be a very useful trait in certain circumstances, and realistic risk assessment should certainly not be given up for the kind of optimism that leads us to take irresponsible risks.

Insofar as pessimism is genetically determined and reinforced by negative lived experiences, it is hard to escape the tendency to expect the worst. With practice, it is, however, very possible to become aware of your thought patterns in a metacognitive way. You can do so by actively taking note of whether your feelings are negative and if they are, whether that expected negativity is in line with realistic outcomes or whether you're underestimating your odds of experiencing a positive outcome. Keep a journal if you have to, or just develop the habit of reexamining your thoughts. 

In addition, though it sounds silly, many people achieve success by consciously taking note of the positive that surrounds them, in every situation. You can commit to noting the pros as well as the cons of everything you consider. You can commit to complimenting others and actively being grateful for the good in your life. You can commit to reflecting on the outcome every time something turned out better than you had expected.