有一则寓言：口渴人找到半杯水。快乐人选择:啊，我终于找到水了！虽然眼下只有半杯水，但千里行始于足，有良好的开端，我一定还能找到更多的水...于是幸福；苦恼人选择:怎么就只这半杯水？就这半杯水有什么用？一气下手舞之足蹈之却碰倒水杯，然后坐以渴毙。

教授：你能说出乐观主义者与悲观主义者的区别吗？

大学生：能，先生，二人共饮一瓶酒，喝去一半时，乐观主义者说还有半瓶，而悲观主义者说半瓶完了，对吗？

两个青年到一家公司求职，经理把第一位求职者叫到办公室，问道：你觉得你原来的公司怎么样？

求职者面色阴郁地答道：唉，那里糟透了。同事们尔虞我诈，勾心斗角，部门经理粗野蛮横，以势压人，整个公司暮气沉沉，生活在那里令人感到十分压抑，所以我想换个理想的地方。

我们这里恐怕不是你理想的乐土.经理说，于是这个年轻人满面愁容地走了出去。

第二个求职者也被问到这个总是，他答到：我们那儿挺好，同事们待人热情，乐于互助，经理们平易近人，关心下属，整个公司气氛融洽，生活得十分愉快。如果不是想发挥我的特长，我真不想离开那儿。

你被录取了。经理笑吟吟地说。

有一个国王想从两个儿子中选择一个做王位继承人，就给了他们每人一枚金币，让他们骑马到远处的一个小镇上，随便购买一件东西。而在这之前，国王命人偷偷地把他们的衣兜剪了一个洞。中午，兄弟俩回来了，大儿子闷闷不乐，小儿子却兴高采烈。国王先问大儿子发生了什么事，大儿子沮丧地说：金币丢了！国王又问小儿子为什么兴高采烈，小儿子说他用那枚金币买到了一笔无形的财富，足以让他受益一辈子，这个财富就是一个很好的教训：在把贵重的东西放进衣袋之前，要先检查一下衣兜有没有洞。

有一位父亲想对自己的双胞胎儿子进行一次性格改造，因为其中一个过分乐观，而另一个则过分悲观。一天，他买了许多新奇的玩具给悲观的儿子，又把乐观的儿子送进了一间堆满马粪的车房里。结果，悲观的孩子泣不成声，父亲便问：为什么不玩那些新玩具呢？玩了就会坏的。孩子仍在哭泣。父亲叹了口气，走进车房，却发现乐观的孩子正兴高采烈地在马粪里掏着什么。告诉你，爸爸。那孩子得意洋洋地向父亲宣称，我想马粪堆里一定还藏着一匹小马呢！

乐观者与悲观者的差别是很有趣的：乐观者在每次危难中都看到了机会，而悲观者在每个机会中都看到了危难。

前苏联作家巴乌斯托夫斯基讲述过，在某处的海岛上，渔夫们在一块巨大的圆花岗石上刻上了一行题词:纪念所有死在海上和将要死在海上的人们。这题词使巴乌斯托夫斯基感到忧伤。而另一位作家却认为这是一行非常雄壮的题词，他是这样理解那句题词的：纪念那些征服了海和即将征服海的人。

悲观者的眼光总是专注在不可能做到的事情上，到最后他们只看到了什么是没有可能的。乐观者所想的都是可能做到的事情，由于把注意力集中在可能做到的事情上，所以往往能够心想事成。

美国有两家鞋厂为了开发市场，分别派业务员前往非洲考察当地的需求量。甲厂的业务员考察回来，立刻晋升为主管；乙厂的业务员考察回来，却从此被冷落在一旁。同样去非洲

考察，为什么会受到不同的待遇呢？

原来，乙厂的业务员，到了非洲，当天就发了一封电报回厂报告。电报的内容是：「完了！一点希望也没有，因为这里的人都不穿鞋子。」

而甲厂的业务员到了非洲，当天也发了一封电报回厂报告，电报的内容则是：「太好了！希望无穷，因为这里的人都没有鞋子穿。」

同样的事，不同的态度，不同的看待，不同的结果，为什么？『用心』的不同。

乐观之于人生,是浮荡在地平线那袅袅升起的热望与希冀,是寻得一份旷达与美好的铺垫与勇气.

让我们在乐观中撷取一份坦然,你的面前就会盎然多彩,若在悲观中摘下一片沉郁的叶子,只能瓦解你积蓄的力量.

一味抱怨的悲观者，看到的总是灰暗的一面，即便到春天的花园里，他看到的也只是折断的残枝，墙角的垃圾；而乐观者看到的却是姹紫嫣红的鲜花，飞舞的蝴蝶，自然，他的眼里到处都是春天。

一个比喻，说是吃甘蔗，乐观的人是这样的：如果从蔗头吃起，他会想现在吃的总是最甜的；如果从蔗尾吃起，他会想现在吃得越来越甜了。悲观的人是这样的：如果从蔗头吃起，他会想现在吃的越来越不甜了；如果从蔗尾吃起，他会想现在吃得总是最不甜的。经典的比喻，可见明明是同一件事，乐观的人与悲观的人之间竟会有如此大的差别。

有两个人,一个叫乐观,一个叫悲观,一起洗手。

开始端来了一盆清水,两个人洗了手,但水还是很干净的。

悲观就说:“水还是这么干净,怎么手上的脏物洗不掉啊?”

乐观却说:“水还是这么干净,原来我手一点都不脏啊!”

几天后,他们又一起洗手,洗完了手,盆里的清水变的很脏了。

悲观就说:“水变得这么脏,啊!我手怎么这么脏？”

乐观却说:“水变得这么脏,瞧,我把手上的脏物全洗掉了!”

面对同样的结果,不同心态的人,所得出的感受就是不一样.

从前，有一只小猫和一只小狗，小狗乐观，小猫悲观，在饥饿的时候它们去找食物，小狗很高兴“要去找食物啦！”小猫很悲哀“还要找食物，烦。”一会儿，他们同时各找到了一颗蛋，小狗看着它的那颗蛋，十分高兴，“捡到了一颗蛋！”，小猫看着它的那颗蛋，十分悲哀“才捡到一颗蛋。”这两颗蛋同时孵出了天鹅，小狗很高兴“我们可以养天鹅！”小猫很悲哀“没蛋吃了。”天鹅长大了，小狗很高兴，“它们吃的越来越多了！”小猫很悲哀，“真能吃，养不起你了。”天鹅有一天飞走了，小狗很高兴“它们自由了！”小猫很悲哀“我白忙活了，讨厌，它们飞走了。”接着它们又去找食物，小狗还是很高兴，“又去找食物啦！”小猫同样很悲哀“又要去找食物。”??

它们的结局都一样，可小狗的一生充满了欢笑，小猫的一生充满了沮丧。同样的事，你会选择快乐的度过，还是会选择愁眉苦脸的度过？嗨！谁愿意整天泡在郁闷痛苦的药水里，而不愿意翱翔在快乐幸福的天空中呢！当然是选择快乐，应该没有人选择痛苦吧。

叔本华说：“一个悲观的人，把所有的快乐都看成不快乐，好比美酒到充满胆汁的口中也会

变苦一样。生命的幸福与困厄，不在于降临的事情本身是苦是乐，而要看我们如何面对这些事。”法国作家巴尔扎克说：“世界上的事情永远不是绝对的，结果完全因人而异。苦难对于天才是一块垫脚石??它对能干的人是一笔财富，对弱者是一个万丈深渊。”罗曼·罗兰则说：“痛苦这把犁刀一方面割破了你的心，一方面掘出了生命的新的水源。”关键是你怎样看待困难，对不幸和痛苦抱什么样的态度。一个乐天达观的人，会活得轻松、潇洒；一个患得患失的人，会被无尽的烦恼困扰着，活得痛苦、艰难。聪明的人善于培养、调剂自己的心情，使自己经常处在好心情光环的照耀下，这样头脑才富有创造力，身体才经得起暴风骤雨的考验。

心理学家发现，悲观主义者眼睛往下看，他们的大脑工作得更好；乐观主义者向上看时，他们的大脑会转得更快。这一发现表明，因痛苦而引起的典型的畏怯表情确实会对人起作用，他们也许有悲观的思想，但是如果他们抬头向上看的话，就不会那么悲观地思考问题了；而人老是低着头的话，就会更加悲观地进行思考。

一位心理学家曾作过这样一个有趣的试验：他把一个空香水瓶洗得干干净净，然后注满清水带进教室。心理学家打开瓶盖对学生说：这是一瓶进口香水，看谁最先分辨出它的味道。不一会儿，学生纷纷举手，有的说是玫瑰香味，有的说是茉莉香味，有的则强调是玉兰香味??当学生被告知是清水时，不禁捧腹大笑。其实，这就是教师对学生"暗示"的结果。 暗示不以命令、劝说等形式发生作用，而是以间接、含蓄的方式产生效果。按照刺激的来源，暗示可以分为他人暗示和自我暗示。像前面提到的"香水事件"就是他人暗示。如果自己用某种观念来影响、改变自己的认知、行为和情绪，就是自我暗示。

当你悲观的朋友告诉你无数个不可能时，你可能也会觉得这个世界上存在无数个不可能；而当你乐观的朋友告诉无数个可能时，你可能就会相信这个世界上存在着无数可能。

“乐观的人在困难面前，看到的是希望；而悲观的人在希望面前，看到的只是困难。”我们不能在困难面前低头，更不能让悲观笼罩我们的思想！在困难和挫折来临的时候，要用乐观的态度迎面而上，胜利永远属于敢于拼搏的一方。所以，做人切勿患得患失，而应乐观旷达。

第二篇：乐观与悲观

On Optimism and Pessimism-谈乐观与悲观

There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degrees of health and wealth and the other comforts of life, one becomes happy, the other becomes miserable. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, and events, and the resulting effects upon their minds. One is said to be optimistic and the other pessimistic about everything around them. People who are to be happy fix their attention on the conveniences of things, the pleasant parts of conversation, the well-prepared dishes, the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the contrary things. Therefore, they are continually discontented themselves. By their remarks, they sour the pleasures of society, offend many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere.

2Generally, optimism is linked to higher achievement. However, amongst those undertaking legal studies, optimism is linked to lower grades and pessimism to higher grades (ie just the opposite). Pessimists have an underlying attitude that their experiences will usually (or always) be negative and they also believe failures are their own fault. Unfortunately, pessimistic thinking is linked to depression.

That is, the more pessimistic someone is, the more likely they are to suffer from depression. Depressed people are actually much better judges of reality. For instance they are better at judging when something they are doing is useless. So the more realistic someone is, the more likely he or she is to become depressed!

Pessimism is also bad for health. Pessimism makes people more liable to die of heart disease once they have it as well as more likely to get cancer in the first place. Indeed, among a sample of lawyers optimism was the best predictor of general well-being, even better than hardiness (emotional resilience). A study of law students found that those high in optimism at time 1 had more active immune systems at time 2 and that this was partly due to their having more positive moods, perceiving less stress and not using avoidance methods of coping.

In a study of male Harvard undergraduates that started in the 1940s, high amounts of optimism at age twenty predicted good health at sixty-five. Meanwhile, those who were highly pessimistic at twenty often had left no forwarding address by the time those questionnaires rolled around at age sixty-five.

Optimism (generally) appears to have a strong beneficial effect on physical and mental health. Optimists are positive thinkers. There are several ways of "thinking positively". One is having thoughts with a positive content and attributing good and not bad events to self, which happy people tend to do. Another is having a good sense of humor, which enables people to "see the funny side of things", having an ironic view of life, which makes bad things seem good.

Most people have a positive view of the world, but some have a more positive view than others. Most people believe they have far more control and more skills than they actually do have. For instance, the majority of drivers consider themselves more skilful than the average driver. Over

95% of new college/university students believed they would graduate whereas the actual failure rate is about 25%. Most people believe they have far more control over their lives than is actually the case.

Many lawyers will immediately label this way of thinking "self-delusional". Yes indeed, but the most recent research points to the benefits of self-delusion! This self-delusion has been found to be healthy, resulting in more success, better health and longer life than those who are actually realistic! (On the other hand, yes it can lead to rash experimentation which may be one of the reasons the majority of lawyers tend towards the pessimistic point of view.)

Pessimism is connected with a belief that an event is beyond control. Perceptions of helplessness and poor coping were also associated with the inability to attribute any real meaning or purpose to the conflict or problem situations. Such a perception is associated with a high distress factor, a predisposition to depression, and a wide diversity of health risks. It is also linked to low self esteem and poor self confidence.

In a study by the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, the medical histories of 839 people were tracked over 30 years. They had all completed a standard personality test between 1962 and 1965, measuring their optimism. There were 124 optimists, 197 pessimists and 518 in between. Their death rates were compared and every 10-point increase in pessimism was associated with a 19 per cent increase in death rate. Similar studies have been done more recently on the role of optimism in high-risk pregnancies, speeding recovery from heart by-pass surgery, and as part of the treatment for teenagers who take drugs. In all these studies pessimists tended to do markedly worse.

Scientists have proved that we can change our brain responses by conscious effort. We can actually condition ourselves to trigger a particular chemical pattern in our brains so that we can change our attitudes and our thinking in positive ways. Thus, even if you have a habit of focusing on the negative, with practice you can change that habit.

Taking control of how you respond to your thoughts and what thoughts you focus on can make all the difference between happiness and unhappiness. An excellent first step is simply to acknowledge the negative feelings respectfully – they are not the cause of your feeling bad but rather signposts to your negative thinking. Then focus your energies on a substitute. Optimists, you see, use their imagination to rehearse success.

Indeed it has been discovered that the most successful individuals from all walks of life do this routinely. Not only do optimists imagine a rosy future, they remember their successes much better than they recall their failures. They dwell on the pleasant. They skip over, although they don’t ignore, their shortcomings.

This called "positive illusion". You see it in world-class competition of all kinds, for instance. The world champion goes into competition believing he or she will succeed. Top ice skaters, skiers, gymnasts, divers, and other performers imagine themselves completing their programs flawlessly. They are all optimists. As well as working very hard to achieve their peak form, they anticipate

success. They don’t hope for it; they expect it.

The power of positive illusion occurs in the worlds of commerce, politics, and art as well. Research on the process by which people become effective and inspiring leaders uncovered one trait all great leaders possess. This "unwarranted optimism" is the ability to see a positive future even in the face of contradictory evidence and appears to be a strong component of top leaders.

Optimists believe that any difficulties or setbacks are temporary, specific to just that experience, and not their own fault. They believe they are in control of their lives. The happiest people believe this whether or not it is true. In other words, the most effective way to increase your happiness is to ‘act as if’ you are in control. Researchers found that those who believe that they are in charge of their destiny are happier, healthier and more productive than any other group of people.

Yet their lives are not really any different from those who do not feel in control. Even for those working in the same kinds of jobs, the ones who saw it as a positive experience and felt in control of their lives had 28% more life satisfaction, according to one study. In fact, in the late 1980s researchers at UCLA found that those who score high on "mental health" actually have more illusions than others! Some of the most common illusions of the mentally healthy are:

* overly positive views of themselves

* convenient ‘forgetting’ of negative facts about themselves

* ‘unrealistic’ optimism about themselves

* ‘unrealistic’ optimism about the future in general

* ‘abnormal’ cheerfulness

It seems that the pollyannas of this world have better health and certainly have more happiness. So do you want to have those kinds of ‘illusions’ or would you rather stick to hard realism and die sooner than the deluded fools?

There’s more. Optimists are more successful in all areas of life. Recent studies show that optimists excel in school, have a better love life, make more money, and have better health as well as living longer! Optimists also do better in the face of stress. They take action sooner; break big problems into smaller, more manageable ones; stick to their goals longer; and believe others can help. All this - and they are happier too!

Surely there is a down side to optimism? Well, not really. The only likely harm of optimistic thinking is when we use over-optimism to shield ourselves from reality. Optimists tend to overestimate the likelihood of success so unrelenting optimism is not a perfect solution. Therefore it is better to be pessimistic in the planning stages but optimistic at most other times.

Remember that, even though optimists bite off more than they can chew (so that they can end up with broken dreams and unrealistic desires), they still end up healthier and happier than pessimists! So which perspective is correct? The answer is neither. You can make a case for each side.

What’s really important is not which way of thinking is correct but which is most beneficial. Having an unrealistically positive view of ourselves seems to be directly linked to greater success. So, you get to choose…..

3Some people see the glass as half empty. Others see it as half full. But is it really as simple as that Is it possible to be a bit of both What are the advantages and disadvantages to both Maybe there is more to both mind-sets.

When you think about it, most people tend to be an optimist sometimes and a pessimist other times. Ironically, a lot of times things turn out how the people tend to feel about them. If a person feels like something will go well or feels optimistic about it, it usually seems to go well. The same is true of the reverse. When someone feels like something will go badly, it tends to do just that.

So why is this

Henry Ford once said, If you think you can, or you think you can't, you are right! Does this mean that what we think about, whether positive or negative, tends to happen The only answer that I can really give to that is yes, but very basically. We cannot simply think things into existence, no matter how optimistic we are, if that is all we do. And when it comes down to it, that's not really optimism, but delusion.

But then is there any real difference between pessimism and optimism if, when it comes down to it, the results aren't any different The short answer is yes, with an added but.

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Pessimism will tend to lead to bad outcomes, whether it is because you just think things will turn out poorly and thus do not take any action, or because the pessimism will color your actions and choices and as a result you tend to do things that will make the result what you expected, the bad outcome.

Now where the but comes in with optimism is that the mere act of thinking either optimistically or pessimistically will for the most part produce not much difference in outcome, with perhaps a slight edge to the optimist. However, when you add positive, productive action to that optimism, this is when truly amazing things can happen. You can be as optimistic as you want that you will find a way to get the money for that new car or new house, but unless you are including the productive action that helps to push things to that end, you will never get there. The difference between only thinking optimistically and thinking optimistically while acting in a productive manner is kind of like saying to an empty fireplace Give me warmth and then I will put some wood in you.

I once knew a woman who always said, I would rather expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised on the rare occasion when good happens than be disappointed all the time. This pessimistic attitude of hers has brought her nothing but misery and strife, and yet she still thinks it has nothing to do with her. She does not realize that her pessimism is coloring her entire life and making the bad things she expects to happen actually happen. My response to her was always, I would much prefer to expect the best and enjoy what life gives me than to constantly worry about how bad things are. For a long time, we had the same results. Then I realized that I needed to do my part and put positive, productive action behind my thoughts. And while I am not where I want to be yet, I have moved much closer to it and have been much happier along the way.

So I would say to you be optimistic! Expect the best out of life! Expecting the best out of life is better than being miserably pessimistic. Above all though my optimistic friend, don't forget to do your part to not just think but also act optimistically.

4Optimists

Optimists explain positive events as having happened because of them (internal). They also see them as evidence that more positive things will happen in the future (stable), and in other areas of their lives (global). Conversely, they see negative events as not being their fault (external). They also see them as being flukes (isolated) that have nothing to do with other areas of their lives or future events (local).

For example, if an optimist gets a promotion, she will likely believe it’s because she’s good at her job and will receive more benefits and promotion in the future. If she’s passed over for the promotion, it’s likely because she was having an off-month because of extenuating circumstances, but will do better in the future.

Pessimists

Pessimists think in the opposite way. They believe that negative events are caused by them (internal). They believe that one mistake means more will come (stable), and mistakes in other areas of life are inevitable (global), because they are the cause. They see positive events as flukes (local) that are caused by things outside their control (external) and probably won’t happen again (unstable).

A pessimist would see a promotion as a lucky event that probably won’t happen again, and may even worry that she’ll now be under more scrutiny. Being passed over for promotion would probably be explained as not being skilled enough. She'd therefore expect to be passed over again.

What This Means

Understandably, if you’re an optimist, this bodes well for your future. Negative events are more likely to roll off of your back, but positive events affirm your belief in yourself, your

ability to make good things happen now and in the future, and in the goodness of life.

Fortunately for pessimists and realists, these patterns of thinking can be learned to a degree (though we tend to be mostly predisposed to our patterns of thinking.) Using a practice called ‘cognitive restructuring,' you can help yourself and others become more optimistic by consciously challenging negative, self-limiting thinking and replacing it with more optimistic thought patterns.

Learn more about how to become an optimist, and find out how to raise an optimistic child.