Thinking the glass is half-full isn’t as important as not thinking of it as half-empty.New research conducted at Ohio State indicates that avoiding pessimism is more important to health and well-being than being optimistic. The research group was led by Susan Robinson-Whelen, a research psychologist at the Houston VA Medical Center.Previous studies have linked optimism to well-being, but those studies dealt with optimism and pessimism as simple opposites. The OSU research team examined the two separately.It was found that pessimism had more of an influence on well-being, said Robinson-Whelen, who led the study as a post-doctoral fellow in psychiatry at OSU.”It does make sense to think of optimism and pessimism as opposites,” she said. “They aren’t simple opposites. Just because a person doesn’t expect good things to happen in the future, researchers can’t assume they therefore expect bad things to happen.”The study was part of a large project examining stress among adults who were caring for a family member who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.Participants were given the Life Orientation Test, the most common measure of optimism, said Robinson-Whelen.One of the statements to assess optimism was, “I’m a believer in the idea that ‘every cloud has a silver lining.'””I don’t expect good things, but I do think to myself ‘I’m gonna get a good grade on this test,'” said Troy Stokes, a freshman majoring in construction systems management. “I don’t always get a good grade, but I think it every time.”A statement that assessed pessimism was, “Things never work out the way I want them to.” “I didn’t expect to sprain my ankle this morning,” said Mike King, a senior majoring in theatre. “But do I fool myself? No, I’m realistic.”Students can change their outlook, said Charles Klink, associate director of Counseling and Consultation Services at OSU. The first step is gathering information about the pessimistic feelings.”When being pessimistic, what experiences triggered the pessimism, what thoughts do I have when I’m being pessimistic, and how do they connect to other situations?” he said. “These gatherings will suggest a solution for the pessimism.”Although life events do affect optimism and pessimism, it is fairly stable and does not fluctuate like mood, Robinson-Whelen said.According to the results, participants who were highly pessimistic in their thinking were likely to report more stress, anxiety, and poor overall health. There was not as large an impact on the well-being of optimistic participants.”It’s not that optimism doesn’t matter at all,” said Robert MacCallum, professor of psychology at OSU and collaborator in the study. “But, pessimism has an impact above and beyond that of optimism.”