Are you sick of smiley faces? Do you hate it when someone tells you to, "Look on the bright side"? Have you had your fill of the Tyranny of the Positive Attitude?
In America...especially in the sales profession...it's tough to be a pessimist. For years we have been fed a diet of unrelenting positivity that prescribes cheerfulness and optimism as a formula for success, resilience and good health...and equates negativity with failure, vulnerability and general unhappiness.
Here's the deal. This Bliss Thing may be taken too far. While positive thinking has its advantages, a little whining now and then is not such a bad thing. Pessimism, in some circumstances, may have its place. Moreover, the unrelieved pressure to be upbeat may gloss over individual needs and differences, and may make some people feel worse, not better. The trouble with forced optimism is that it tends to engender guilt and even greater anxiety. To quash the negative feelings, people self-medicate by drinking, smoking, or eating too much.
Here's the other relevant point...at least for financial advisors. You know how, over time, financial advisors tend to attract clients who think and act like them? Well...about 25% of the US population are pessimists, and will have a natural predilection to view the world Sunny Side Down. If every advisor out there is constantly cheerful and upbeat...who's going to work with the Oscar the Grouches of the world?
Julie K. Norem, a Wellesley College professor and author of "The Positive Power of Negative Thinking," has a term for the Sad Sacks among us...Defensive Pessimists.
Defensive pessimism is a coping strategy, where an individual sets unrealistically low expectations...and then play through the possible outcomes of a situation, and analyze all of the terrible things that could happen and tend to prepare for the worst. While optimists are more likely to be shaken up when things go wrong, defensive pessimists haven't had their basic assumptions broken and prepare for the worst.
Here's another interesting point. A University of Pennsylvania study found that, faced with normal, later-in-life issues, such as illness and loss...optimistic study participants (ages 64-94), were found to have higher levels of depressive symptoms than the pessimistic subjects. When we are older, negative events, such as the loss of a spouse, are permanent. A pessimistic reaction based upon a realistic acceptance of end-of-life issues is appropriate...while being optimistic in this situation would be unrealistic and maladaptive.
In sum, the virtues of negativity may have been overlooked. If a dour countenance is your normal expression, don't fight it. In fact, as a financial advisor, you could build your entire practice around Constructive Negativity...and seek the many investors who share your perspective.
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