Are overly optimistic people or overly pessimistic people more annoying?

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Sunshine_cutie4@reddit

Being overly optimistic is generally quite a privileged position that people take when they turn a blind eye to the very real evils of the world.

I think there is actually logic behind being extremely pessimistic, cos many people in the world are suffering needlessly because billionaires want to exploit less developed countries.

So if your pessimism is rooted in stuff that’s worth being pessimistic about, like the state of the world in general, I would much rather be around a pessimistic person than someone who’s ignorant and full of toxic positivity

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Money-Feeling@reddit

I think you make some valid points, and as you say optimism is often linked to privilege.

Something I would add in favour of optimism is that pessimism is often self fulfilling (a why try if I'm unlikely to win mindset).

As to preference it's of course wholly subjective.

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Sunshine_cutie4@reddit

Yes pessimism is self fulfilling for personal issues. I find people who play the victim annoying. But on a world level it’s ok to be a realist & I encourage people to try and change it through political action and volunteering, which involves some optimism - hope

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shitthrower@reddit

So if your pessimism is rooted in stuff that’s worth being pessimistic about, like the state of the world in general

Is it worth being pessimistic about the state of the world though? It's something that you can't change, and being down is only going to impact you.

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Sunshine_cutie4@reddit

You literally can impact it. We are not totally helpless, that’s pessimistic. People can take action politically or volunteering and encourage others to join in.

There literally are enough resources in the world to solve starvation and poverty, it’s just that billionaires choose not to. If enough people organise ourselves to change the political system, we can solve those issues.

It’s called “revolutionary optimism”

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deppyjon@reddit

I personally think being pessimistic is way way way way way way way worse.

I’m happy to be proven wrong but surely there is 0 benefit to being overly pessimistic?

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HellPigeon1912@reddit

The advantage to being a pessimist is I usually end up being right about 95% of the time

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-Rhymenocerous-@reddit

Id rather be surrounded by optimistic people.

Because there is almost always something good to be had from.most things.

Pessimists literslly suck the life / fun out of everything

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Gent415@reddit

My ex was pessimistic and catastrophised about everything. Always worst-case scenario. Having to constantly reassure was exhausting and ultimately frustrating. Too much negative energy 😞

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Perrirs@reddit

Optimistic people = annoying Pessimistic people = draining

Way better to be around optimistic people as they bring you up, pessimistic people will bring you down.

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katalyna78@reddit

Yes and I think it depends on context. My mother is overly optimistic and it meant there was no space to talk about difficult things (bullying) when I was growing up. She always "at leasts" my life. I take the piss taking it to the nth degree: at least I haven't got cancer or at least I'm not dead.

A capacity to see the good and bad is helpful rather bring stuck in one paradigm.

Overly pessimistic folk again I take the piss out of. Of course it was shit Dave, you were there!

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Almost_Present@reddit

What your mother was doing there seems more like a avoidance dressed up as positivity

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n0d3N1AL@reddit

I don't understand why people find optimism and positivity annoying

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Octoboy1@reddit

I got a mate who is miserable about everything. He used to call me daily and he would be on the phone hours just whining about shit, usually the same stuff

I started avoiding his calls because hes a fucking energy vampire. It was really draining

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deHaga@reddit

Atmosphere hoover

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Mon_Mome@reddit

Mood hoover

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Robertinho678@reddit

The last line is pretty much what I posted just now as well!

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Unusual_Resident_784@reddit

there's obviously toxic negativity but I've been around toxic positivity and it can be equally as bad and lead to people suffering from main character syndrome.

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Novel_Description164@reddit

It depends solely on the mood that I myself am in to be honest 😅

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3lbFlax@reddit

You know in like a Benny Hill sketch where he might have his wife on one phone and his boss on the other, both yammering away at 4x speed, and he just puts the receivers down on the table so they're talking to each other?

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and7uh@reddit

Both are infectious, I’d rather be around positivity.

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Important-Gift-3375@reddit

Optimistic people are quite refreshing

Pessimistic are unbearable

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SpudFire@reddit

Overly pessimistic are more annoying.

I'd rather be on the receiving end of an "I told you so" because something has gone right than when something has gone wrong.

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jado5150@reddit

As others have said optimistic people are annoying and pessimistic people are draining. I work with someone who constantly flicks between the 2. Her default position seems to be pessimism so the random bouts of optimism always have a catch. Things like "it would be such a nice day, if it wasn't for the wind", "I had a lovely walk on the beach, shame it was so cold", "we're going to Egypt in August, it's on my bucket list but we're looking at a holiday in Portugal in case the airline cancels it", "what a beautiful morning aren't we lucky we get to see it, 'baby voice'(nearly 60 year old woman) I just want to lie in, why can't I lie in?" and on and on.

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Menyana@reddit

Pessimistic people are more annoying. Particularly if they think I'm dilusional, insist on me being like them or start being mean as way to try to make me miserable.

I lean more on the optimistic side. I've been called annoying. A couple of folks thought my cheeriness is fake. One of them explained that it is annoying because they thought I was always happy all the time. I reminded them that is impossible. I'm human. They've since seen me in negative moods that include depression... We're actually very good friends now.

I've worked hard for to see the silver linings in my days eg a pretty flower on a verge or a cute dog, which prevents me from drowning in negativity.

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GinBitch@reddit

I am terribly pessimistic and I drive myself insane.

But happy people just feel insincere to me.

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No_Medium_648@reddit

You can tell an optimistic person to shut the fuck up and they'll see the good in it but if you tell a pessimistic person to shut the fuck up they'll take it personally and send you multiple vague suicide threats.

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oncejumpedoutatrain@reddit

A person can be overly pessimistic but refrain from sharing their thoughts, I'm not sure the same goes for the opposite.

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yorkspirate@reddit

It's a tough choice because overly optimistic people can be 'living in la la land' and come across as nothing more than a dreamer (on the extreme end of the scale) overly pessimistic people will definitely be a moral drain

A choice of either/or and in the absence of a sliding scale I'd rather be round the overly optimistic person every day to answer your question

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Icy-Weight1803@reddit

People being optimistic is overall better and healthier. I'd rather be around and be someone who inspires positivity and hope than some who drains the life of people and complains all the time.

Though I acknowledge that though being overly negative is bad, toxic positivity is also a thing and if I have to get honest with someone, then I will.

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Thomas5020@reddit

Optimistic.

Sometimes you need to face reality and understand the situation at hand instead of having a stupid slap happy attitude and ignoring everything.

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nemmalur@reddit

Pessimists because they believe everything’s impossible.

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Macrihanishautomatic@reddit

Heavily depends what mood I’m in.

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horoscopical@reddit

Both can be annoying. Pessimism is what tends to get me the most though. The current "Everything is shit now" movement online is one that is really starting to get on my nerves.

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cboel@reddit

Overly pessimistic people just seems to never end until they are forced to do so. They like the drama and misery it creates and lets them focus on that instead of putting in more effort to change things.

Overly optimistic people just seem to come back down to reality on their own more often. Not all do, and some can be just as clueless or hopeless, but more of them self-correct than pessimists do, I've found.

There's also the weird social burden pessimism brings out. I am the type of person who doesn't like to burden others with my problems, knowing I am primarily the person responsible for fixing them. If I share them with other also going through difficulties, it makes it harder for them as well.

So I will default to being optimistic when I know I have to lead the way through the greyness and be the beacon for others to rally behind or to, even when I am just as pessimistic as everyone else deep down.

For me it is like switching from being a pessimistic kid consumed with their problems to being an optimistic adult who can and has to set them aside.

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Robertinho678@reddit

Pessimistic. Although at the moment they're probably more correct, I'd rather be brought up than brought down. I have respect for optimism, even if it's unfounded.

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Krismusic1@reddit

I've always said. Groundless optimism is better than no optimism!

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Robertinho678@reddit

Agreed!

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FlatTyres@reddit

As someone who leans towards being pessimistic about things, I tend to find naïve overly optimistic people annoying - I prefer to exercise caution over an outcome.

Overly pessimistic people have never made me smile while they're being overly pessimistic, although I do generally side with those people if I feel the same way about the situation.

Some might call me a pessimist, but I think I'm more of a realist.

Success is a relief in the end.

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thecatsothermother@reddit

Definately overly pessimistic people. I myself an an optimist but also a realist. I have a friend who is a pessimist whom I sometimes have to encourage and she can be tiring enough. However, I usually can get her general mood up. She's even encouraged me before when I've had problems or a dip in mood even if it's by just giving me a hug.

I used to have an overly pessimistic ex and he woukd shut down every potential solution. I could suggest 4 or 5 ways in which he could do something about and he would Shut. Down. Every. Damn. Suggestion. It really was utterly draining, and it would bring my own mood down. I mentioned earlier how my female pessimistic friend would encourage me? More than once it was needed because I'd been exhausted by him being utterly negative and shutting every suggestion I made down.

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horoscopical@reddit

Both can be annoying. Pessimism is what tends to get me the most though. The current "Everything is shit now" movement online is one that is really starting to get on my nerves.

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NoCold3997@reddit

Most definitely pessimistic people are the most annoying. .hey this is England 80% of the population are pessimistic and love a good moan.

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EvilRobotSteve@reddit

I think it depends on which side you lean on yourself. If you're an optimistic person, even if not extremely so, you'll be more bothered by extreme pessimists, and vice versa.

I find overly optimistic people more annoying, so that probably reveals which side I usually lean toward, but also crucially, pessimists are less invested in "infecting" others. If you tell them you don't want to hear their moaning, they'll usually just give up and just wallow silently in their own negativity. Overly cheery people seem to feel it's their duty to "cheer up" anyone who isn't on their level and can be quite relentless with it.

Other bonuses are that I have never heard pessimists whistling, singing or humming.

Obviously, I don't think overly pessimistic people are ideal, I think "overly" either is going to be annoying, but if I had to choose, I wouldn't need to think too long about it. One is annoying, the other insufferable.

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Haunting_Side_3102@reddit

I wouldn’t pick either type to spend every day with. But I’d certainly wheel them in for specific purposes. For example, overly optimistic people are great for putting together and selling an ambitious plan, and overly pessimistic people are great at finding holes in it. And I’d much rather have an overly pessimistic lawyer check through a contract.

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incognitoarmadill0@reddit

Both are annoying in different ways! If I had a choice, I would choose to be around an overly optimistic person any day. They may not always be realistic, but they're great people.

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FrostyImplement9565@reddit

Overly pessimistic people in my opinion. At least with positive people if you're in a good mood they're gonna be on the hype train but if you're in a good mood pessimistic people bring it down and if you're in a bad mood they just make it worse. Sure positive people can bring your bad mood even worse however they can also still make you feel good sometimes.

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ScumBucket33@reddit

We all have that one coworker that moans constantly even after good news and it’s just bloody exhausting. I swear this one guy at work could win the lottery and still find a way to complain.

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BelledeJour71@reddit

I would chose the optimist, absolutely. Can't abide whingy whiney people.

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miggleb@reddit

Optimistic.

Pessimists can more often be reasoned with

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tired_watchman@reddit

Agreed, I've spent enough of my life around Negative Nancies (and been one myself for a little bit) to realise it's absolutely grim to be around or have that overall outlook on life. I'd rather be around hopeless optimism because that usually has a knack of shaking a positive outcome from a situation or at the very least a neutral acceptance.

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Goosepond01@reddit

optimistic people 100%

arguing against overly pessimistic people is an easier thing to do, people will normally support you if you are reasonable and being a bit cheery, even if the person themselves doesn't.

doing it against optimistic people you will nearly always end up looking like a downer or a spoilsport, no matter how realistic or right you are.

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louwyatt@reddit

Depends on whether you mean in perspective or attitude. I'd rather be around someone with a pessimistic perspective but an optimistic attitude.

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Sad-Insurance1313@reddit

Aye, I find it easy to talk to someone who is always happy. It's essentially just superficial small talk & you can tell that they're trying for those around them. Even if the outcome is annoying, it's still endearing to me

Negative folk suck the life out of the room & completely change the dynamic. In a group situation, the topic will also be superficial small talk. No one wants to talk about nice things that have happened to them recently when it's guaranteed there will be some sort of negative comment about it

Both can be trying, but both are 2 sides of the same coin (very generally speaking here). People who are struggling but don't know how to convey that to others in a way that would improve anything for them. Sometimes folk are just how they are & all you can do is take them as they come

Largely I try to have empathy & sometimes will even try a gentle prompt for them to open up if the situation is appropriate. On the flip side, sometimes it's better to not get involved at all

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rayna_ives@reddit

As someone who balances on the line between realistic and nihilistic, optimistic people annoy me more, but that's because there's barely anything to hold onto hope for these days 💀

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ClevelandWomble@reddit

Permanently chirpy optimism can be annoying, but I do know someone who sees the downside to everything. Every minute in his presence seems like an hour and I dread the next time I have to see him.

Career pessimists are the worse of the two.

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ClericalRogue@reddit

I'd rather deal with an optimist than a pessimist, any day of the week.

I have learned this the hard way. Constant negativity makes you feel negative, and therefore miserable. I'd rather feel positive even if that positivity may be misguided.

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EccentricRosie@reddit

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. An overly pessimistic person is less likely to try and do anything product. With someone who's overly optimistic, you'll have to rein them in, but you're more likely to make progress in doing something.

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Nimble_Natu177@reddit

In the context of the UK, its optimistic people because culturally, we've always been a lot more overly pessimistic, be it though sarcasm and generational trauma, especially in the North.

This view may be the opposite in other regions though.

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LUNATIC_LEMMING@reddit

At work the optimist, they can utterly break you with unrealistic deadlines and workloads. Nothing worse than an overly optimistic sales rep or pm.

Any other time the pessimist.

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GeggingIn@reddit

Overly pessimistic.

Being unrealistically chirpy can be trying, but people who think everything is shite are always awful to be around.

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Irrxlevance@reddit

pessimism drags everyone down so absolutely pessimistic people are the worse

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spiderplant94@reddit

Overly pessimistic - there is little more exhausting than someone who wears you out with their own misery

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Fine_Analyst_4408@reddit

I'd rather deal with the optimism, plus maybe I'm just being pessimistic that they're being optimistic.

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235iguy@reddit

The eternal optimist is probably the one more out of kilter with reality...

Does that make them more annoying? I don't know, never met one tbh.

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LadyInAllPower@reddit

Both in different ways. Overly optimistic people especially are a planning risk to work with. Overly pessimistic people just drag the mood down, and can hold back progress.

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Ill_Tonight_2069@reddit

Overly anything is annoying

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Puzzleheaded-Bad-722@reddit

Pessimistic because they just drag absolutely everything and everyone down. I understand being realistic about rough situations, but a lot of them just becomes 24/7 whiners.

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DatGuy82772@reddit

Definitely pessimistic people.

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L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit

I think of myself very much as a glass-is-half-full sort of person, which people seem to presume means I'm optimistic - unfortunately, this in the assessment of people who cealry have not the first clue exactly what it is I see that glass being half full of.

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