The study also found that pessimism and is more often associated with neuroticism and negative emotions than and optimism. This study concluded that not being pessimistic was more important than being optimistic.

Sweeney & Sheppard (2010) found that optimism could have its disadvantages when someone must receive bad news. Pessimism allows the person to "brace" themselves for bad news and to develop coping skills to help deal with the event. Optimists may have a disadvantage when it comes to real life negative situations. These authors suggest that pessimism is more of a coping mechanism and that optimism can leave a person without a planned coping strategy. The study aked the question of whether optimism is always best when preparing for the unexpected events, or expectations of negative events in life.

Pessimism puts people in the state of readiness, which Sweeney & Sheppard associate with preparedness. It was found that many...
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