Are you a pessimist or an optimist?

[BurtWorm]

Poll question: Are you a pessimist or an optimist?

[dwckabal]

1. pessimist...

or as I prefer to call myself, a REALIST!

[BurtWorm]

2. Then you'll LOVE my other poll

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=320814

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

3. Optimists are never pleasantly surprised

Pessimists are all the time!

[felonious thunk]

5. Right

Constantly disappointed optimist here!

[vi5]

4. I am one of the most negative, cynical people you will meet...

But I subscribe to the old adage that if you scratch a cynic you'll find a romantic. I was just raised so hopelessly idealistic that over the years being let down by my fellow man has taken it's toll and caused me to always expect the worst.

[Maine Mary]

6. I'd like to see what it's like to be an optimist

but am afraid that I'd be disappointed. :-(

[BurtWorm]

7. Yikes! And you're a legislator!

What do you think most legislators would say about this, Mary? In public, is it safer to say you're an optimist?

[Sticky]

10. I am an optimist

- - always been an optimist. But I live with a pessimist and there are times when I really get down. It's hard to fight against negativity all the time....

A question for pessimists: Doesn't it take more energy to see the cup half empty? I see the cup half full and that reduces the stress of worrying about soon having to fill it!

[Maine Mary]

12. I would think it's harder to be an optimist

I always expect the worst that way I can be ecstatic over anything that does go well and not disappointed if it doesn't.

[Maine Mary]

11. Yeah probably

if you live in a D area.

But up here in rural red areas, pessimism and cynicism are practically part of the culture. I fit in well. Maybe it has something to do with our 6 month wintahs? :shrug:

[BurtWorm]

13. Good point!

It is kind of gothic up there for half the year.

[Spider Jerusalem]

8. Neither...

I'm a cynic.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

9. Do you see the glass as half-full or half-empty

The glass is completely full, of 50% air, 50% water.

[BurtWorm]

14. The glass is half full

of something that might kill me if I drank it.

[Droopy]

15. Both. I have manic-depression.

[Az]

16. So these scientists were trying to study the base differences between

an optimist and a pessimist. To this effect they found these two kids that seemed to embody the essense of each position and began studying them.

They took the pessimistic kid and put him in a room full of toys and left to observe unseen from another room. As they watched the kid positioned himself in the middle of the room and carefully moved all the toys away from him until he was sitting in the middle of an empty circle. They went in and asked him what he was doing. He explained that he didn't know whose toys these were and was afraid if he broke one he would get in trouble.

They then took the optimist kid and placed him in a room full of horse shit and left to observe. After a few minutes the kid started flinging horse shit all over the place. They quickly ran in and asked the kid what he was doing. He explained that with all this horse shit around there must be a horse in here somewhere.

[thom1102]

17. Pessimist: an experienced optimist...

That's what my mom told me once.

[Midwest_Doc]

18. An optimist believes we live in the best of all possible worlds ...

... a pessimist is certain of it.