2024-02-20 15:17:05
Dear friend, dear friend,
Optimism is sometimes associated with success.
This is self-fulfilling thinking, the American dream, the power of those who really want.
However, this is not what the science says.
Optimism would be your worst enemy when you have to make a financial decision.
In any case, this is the conclusion reached by researchers at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom(1).
The researchers wanted to know which optimists or pessimists made the best decisions. The study covers 30,000 people.
They gave a new definition of intelligence and modestly called it “cognitive abilities”(1).
There are those in whom they are high and those in whom they are low.
For the purposes of this study, the cognitive abilities of the participants were assessed based on three criteria:
So out with IQ, here comes cognitive abilities.
As a result, the least intelligent people, according to the study’s criteria, are also the most optimistic.
They are also the ones who make the worst financial decisions.
They are therefore the most broke, if you allow me the expression.
He’s the delight of the nursery.
Researchers point out that people who make the best decisions are those who are realistic in their expectations and organize themselves according to their goals.
In other words, success is planned. He builds himself more than he imagines.
Science confirms common sense.
But she adds some numbers.
So people who have the most efficient cognitive abilities are 22% more likely to be pessimistic.
And moreover, the ratio of optimists drops by 35% when we talk regarding money.
On the other hand, researchers tell you that 80% of participants have an optimism bias. (1)
It’s a tendency to think that everything will be fine no matter what decision you make. (2.3)
This is a poor assessment of the situation.
Because of this bias, people sometimes do not think regarding the consequences of their actions.
They tell themselves that nothing can happen to them.
This mechanism is unconscious.
It even exists in animals like rats or birds.
The benefits of optimism
It is therefore not a failure, but a defense mechanism.
On a daily basis, it protects us from anxiety and stress linked to death, illness or failure.
By thinking regarding it too much, we no longer do anything.
Thinking that everything will go well allows you to move forward and avoid torpor and depression.
And in fact, optimists would have 14% less risk than pessimists of dying before the age of 65 and 30% less of dying of cardiac arrest.
Basically, they may be less rich but will live longer!
Likewise, when you are going through a difficult time, positive thoughts can help you.
They lift your spirits and allow you to see the glass half full.
This gives you some respite and courage to continue and face what comes next.
Too much optimism makes you stupid
However, complacent optimism pushes people to make decisions without evaluating the risk and consequences.
Excess optimism creates a disconnect between decision-making and action.
This is a daydream or blindness. This is, for example, someone who imagines becoming a millionaire without changing anything in their life.
In this scenario, there are two near certainties: this person’s income will not change, but they might harbor resentment.
Because there is a gap between his expectations and his actions.
The main problem with excess optimism is that it disarms the people who experience it.
They are not preparing for what is obviously going to happen.
This is the person who refuses to take a coat or an umbrella while the gray clouds gather in the sky.
Excessive optimism lowers a person’s adaptability because they refuse to take into account the dangers, risks or obstacles that present themselves on their path.
In some cases this looks like incompetence. This is exactly what happened with the Titanic.
The boat’s crew absolutely wanted to set a record for the fastest crossing and were far too optimistic regarding the possible presence of an iceberg(4).
They hadn’t even planned enough rescue boats for everyone(4)!
When they realized the reality of the danger, it was too late.
Should we be realistic?
When you use objective elements, linked to reality, your projections are, in general, more accurate.
The probability that they will come true is higher.
If your salary is 2,000 euros, the probability that you will receive 2,000 euros at the end of this month and subsequent months in your bank account is high.
Logic you might say.
But the smug optimist thinks he’s doing so well that he’ll be offered a raise at the end of the year no matter what. The risk is that he will be disappointed at the end of the year.
The pessimist thinks he will have to fight to get his raise.
At the end of the year, the pessimist who has acted will simply be fixed on his fate. If he does not receive the increase, he will have prepared for it, if he receives it he will have asked for it and will therefore have deserved it.
Science seems to indicate that those with realistic expectations, neither too crazy nor too negative, do best.
And health ?
Is there a link between cognitive abilities and good health decision-making?
The study says nothing on the subject.
We know, on the other hand, that the least educated populations are often also the most exposed to tobacco, alcohol and obesity(5).
On the other hand, many graduates rushed to vaccination centers when the experimental mRNA vaccines were put on the market.
However, the head of vaccination for the French government, Alain Fischer, explained that he did not have any “scientific publications” on mRNA vaccines(6).
The Government had only received press releases from vaccine manufacturers.
Alain Fischer added, very seriously, that it was not a problem. Vaccine manufacturers might be trusted(6).
In hospitals, nurses were often more skeptical of this botched vaccination than doctors (7).
When it comes to health, having a realistic and rational attitude certainly matters.
But this is only useful if you have been able to maintain your independence of mind!
Naturally yours,
Augustine of Livois
1708547897
#Institute #Natural #Health #Protection #optimistic #pessimistic
