on Feb 5th, 2006Emotional Cushioning - The World Sucks or Gee, I Feel Good
When you wake up and its raining outside, do you feel gloomy or cleansed? When you’re driving along on a sunny day and suddenly get a flat tire, do you cuss and scream or roll your eyes and say, “well, what can I do.” Your answer may determine how the rest of your day turns out.
According to new research, the act of “expecting the worst,” in anticipation of a poor outcome, only makes you more miserable, instead of creating an “emotional cushion” to help you deal with the disappointment. The moral: Screw the pessimism and take a bath in optimism. Hey, at least it makes you feel better.
Expecting the worst may not make you feel any better when faced with a disappointment, say psychology researchers who have tested the age-old advice.
Most people believe that mentally preparing for the worst outcome in an examination or race will soften the disappointment if we flunk or flop - and heighten the joy if we succeed. But the idea has rarely been put on scientific trial.
Is it best to expect the worst?
Psychologists test long-held theory of emotional cushioning
By Helen Pearson
Nature, 3 February 2006