Pessimism is more than a frame of mind – it’s a disease that can shorten your life. But here’s the good news: you can cure it!
I’m tired. Really tired. My two-year-old woke up at 2:23a.m. last night. I tried not to look at the clock but couldn’t help it. She had a nosebleed. Why does she get these at night? It never happens during the day. An hour later the cat started scratching at the door. It wanted to go outside and kill something. It never eats what it kills. It just dumps the carcasses at our door. Why does it do that? My wife says it’s a sign that the cat loves us. I don’t think so.
Didn’t get a seat on the train this morning. Typical. Now my computer isn’t working. I must emit a magnetic field that jams its circuitry. Or maybe it hates me. Why not? Dogs growl and babies cry when I approach.
Do I sound like a whiner? People call me a cynic, a killjoy. My wife’s kinder; she says I’m a pessimist. She’s right, of course. But to be honest, I never considered my pessimism a problem. It’s how my brain works. In fact, researchers at the University of British Columbia found that a person’s “emotional subjectivity” may have genetic roots. So what’s the problem? Takes all kinds, right?
Well, as usual, I’m wrong. Pessimism is more than just a disposition – it may be linked to diseases, and virulent ones at that. I discovered this when my wife, a physician, gave me a sheaf of studies after listening to one of my mournful monologues at the end of a frustrating day.
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