Self & Society

Optimism, the tendency to look on the positive side of life, can lift us up when we feel down and and keep us going in the face of challenges and difficult odds. At the same time, some optimism can be unrealistic; how many people optimistically think they will strike it rich someday, compared to how many people actually rise from rags to riches?

Pessimism, on the other hand, or the tendency to look at the negative aspects of life, may be more "realistic" when accounting for the difficulties we may actually face. Yet, acknowledging the real hard facts of the situation or the odds of success does not necessarily change our ability to succeed in life.

These two attitudes are often compared and contrasted in terms of which is "better", although it's rare for anybody to be wholly one or the other.

• What are the pros and cons of each, and when might we use them to our advantage?
• Is it better to believe in something unrealistic, if that belief helps you do more than you would otherwise?
• In what situations is optimism or pessimism more adaptive?
• Both attitudes may be protective in some way, but what do they protect us from or against?

We've set up a recurring weekly meeting so everyone knows well in advance whether we'll be gathering, and before each meeting we'll post the topic of the week.

A quick note on location: while the World Cup is on, our usual spot, Ludwig’s, gets packed and tough to meet in. So for now we'll be gathering outside Paris Baguette instead. Once the World Cup wraps up, we'll head back to Ludwig’s as usual. Hope to see you there!

We've set up a recurring weekly meeting so everyone knows well in advance whether we'll be gathering, and before each meeting we'll post the topic of the week.

A quick note on location: while the World Cup is on, our usual spot, Ludwig’s, gets packed and tough to meet in. So for now we'll be gathering outside Paris Baguette instead. Once the World Cup wraps up, we'll head back to Ludwig’s as usual. Hope to see you there!

We've set up a recurring weekly meeting so everyone knows well in advance whether we'll be gathering, and before each meeting we'll post the topic of the week.

A quick note on location: while the World Cup is on, our usual spot, Ludwig’s, gets packed and tough to meet in. So for now we'll be gathering outside Paris Baguette instead. Once the World Cup wraps up, we'll head back to Ludwig’s as usual. Hope to see you there!