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0 pointsmewpmewp22y ago0 comments

I disagree with a lot of what you are saying. Firstly I wouldn't label myself any way, neither pessimist or optimist.

But you can be amazed at what has happened throughout the whole history and what humans have built, and be optimistic and excited about the future, and that we can handle the problems thrown at us and be completely realistic at the same time.

And even if there was some way to accurately judge whether optimists or pessimists view the World more accurately, it doesn't mean you can't still view the world accurately and be an optimist at the same time.

It might just be that optimists on average are more likely to view things in a better light than they are, but it doesn't apply to every single optimist.

There is truth, but also even bad truth like a problem coming your way you can treat it as an exciting challenge or a nuisance.

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HervalFreire2y ago

https://radiolab.org/episodes/91618-lying-to-ourselves

What I'm saying is not something I made up. It's actual science.

Listen to the podcast if you have the time. It's derived from actual multitudes of scientific research done on thousands of people. It's only 12 minutes and it's really good and it will change your perception of the importance of knowing the truth.

This is real. And the experiments cited in this podcast are only a fraction of the psychological experiments used to confirm this theory. It's not about a matter of your opinion, it's science.

But even if it's real it doesn't matter does it? Because it's all about your perception and your ability to delude yourself.

mewpmewp2OP2y ago

I was responding to your points. Is there any other specific point you want me to respond to?

Because the arguments are that you can overestimate your capabilities or be overconfident to perform better, which I agree with, but my point is that none of it is indicative that someone having generally a positive view of the world necessarily implies that they would have less grasp on reality.

I think the experiments are not evidence that one has to "delude" themselves to be positive or happy. Because the end of your post implied that there must be at least some level of delusion going on.

HervalFreire2y ago

>but my point is that none of it is indicative that someone having generally a positive view of the world necessarily implies that they would have less grasp on reality.

From the podcast:

    Joanna: The people who were the most realistic, that actually see the world exactly as it is, tend to be slightly more depressed than others.

    Robert: Time and time again, researchers have found that depressed people lie less.

    Ruben: They see all the pain in the world. How horrible people are with each other and they tell you everything about themselves. What their weaknesses are, what terrible things they've done to other people and the problem is they're right....

That one research study they used as an example is one out of multitudes used to formulate the conclusion I cited above.

In short:

   People who tend to be realistic tend to be depressed. People who lie to themselves tend to be happy.

I mean it's obvious that this point contradicts your claim. Ask yourself, are you lying to yourself right now? Are you currently being optimistically delusional about what was actually stated in the podcast? Hard to say.

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mewpmewp2OP2y ago

Okay, listening to the podcast. I understand your point much better now, that seems like a very interesting episode, thank you for that. Like if there are some unpleasant truths that if you don't believe to be true would make your life much easier.

But the questionnaire on the streets - to be fair, if I were to answer "no" there, it doesn't mean I would be lying to myself, I might only be lying to the interviewer, for obvious reasons.

mewpmewp2OP2y ago

I mean it's very interesting topic, but there's many things to take a part or consider here. Visualising success is a recommended activity for instance, but it doesn't necessarily mean lying to oneself, it's just preparing yourself, going through what is upcoming.

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0 pointsmewpmewp22y ago0 comments

I disagree with a lot of what you are saying. Firstly I wouldn't label myself any way, neither pessimist or optimist.

It might just be that optimists on average are more likely to view things in a better light than they are, but it doesn't apply to every single optimist.

There is truth, but also even bad truth like a problem coming your way you can treat it as an exciting challenge or a nuisance.

0 comments

HervalFreire2y ago

https://radiolab.org/episodes/91618-lying-to-ourselves

What I'm saying is not something I made up. It's actual science.

This is real. And the experiments cited in this podcast are only a fraction of the psychological experiments used to confirm this theory. It's not about a matter of your opinion, it's science.

But even if it's real it doesn't matter does it? Because it's all about your perception and your ability to delude yourself.

mewpmewp2OP2y ago

I was responding to your points. Is there any other specific point you want me to respond to?

I think the experiments are not evidence that one has to "delude" themselves to be positive or happy. Because the end of your post implied that there must be at least some level of delusion going on.

HervalFreire2y ago

>but my point is that none of it is indicative that someone having generally a positive view of the world necessarily implies that they would have less grasp on reality.

From the podcast:

    Joanna: The people who were the most realistic, that actually see the world exactly as it is, tend to be slightly more depressed than others.

    Robert: Time and time again, researchers have found that depressed people lie less.

    Ruben: They see all the pain in the world. How horrible people are with each other and they tell you everything about themselves. What their weaknesses are, what terrible things they've done to other people and the problem is they're right....

That one research study they used as an example is one out of multitudes used to formulate the conclusion I cited above.

In short:

   People who tend to be realistic tend to be depressed. People who lie to themselves tend to be happy.

1 more reply

mewpmewp2OP2y ago

But the questionnaire on the streets - to be fair, if I were to answer "no" there, it doesn't mean I would be lying to myself, I might only be lying to the interviewer, for obvious reasons.

mewpmewp2OP2y ago

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