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Results: You Are A Pessimist...
Surprised?
 More Resources on Optimism
• What's an Attributional Style?
• The Benefits of Optimism
• More on Explanatory Style
 
 Related Terms
• Positive Attributional Style
• Negative Attributional Style
 
 Related Resources
• The Healthy Lifestyle Quiz
• The Self-Knowledge Section
 

You tend to have a pessimistic way of thinking. This may be surprising to you, but your pessimism is a reflection of your explanatory style (the way you explain the events in your life), which leans toward thinking of positive events as external, local and unstable, and negative events as internal, global and stable. This leads you to more often believe that negative events are your fault and will lead to more negative events in your life, while positive events are out of your control and won't necessarily lead to more of the same. (For a more in-depth explanation of explanatory style, what it means, and how it works, see this article.)

One benefit to this way of thinking is that pessimists are sometimes more likely than optimists to take responsibility for their shortcomings, so they can more easily change them and grow. However, too much self-blame can lead to a lack of self-worth and belief in one's abilities.

Additionally, optimists tend to stay healthier, perform better, and experience less stress in their lives, among other benefits. The good news is, you can become more optimistic with practice. For more information on the benefits of optimism and ways you can become more optimistic, read this article.

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