Статья "Проблемы с оптимизмом"
При низком уровне стресса оптимисты в лучшем положении.
Но когда требования ситуации и стресс достигают высокой степени интенсивности, у пессимистов иммунная система срабатывает лучше, чем у оптимистов.
Короче говоря, надо быть не только оптимистичным, но и реалистичным. Не все зависит от наших усилий.
It turns out, however, that optimism doesn't always equip people for long-term stresses. This was shown in an intriguing 2006 study of law students carried out by Suzanne Segerstrom of the University of Kentucky. The immune responses of optimistic and pessimistic students were compared when they were operating under high and low demands for their time and energy. Normally, optimists tend to perceive less stress because either they are better able to cope or because they see the world with rosier glasses. However, when demands become ultra severe, the optimists suffered a lower immune response than pessimists.
<...>
Now we get to the part about optimists. With their strong belief in hope, their "can-do" attitude often leads optimists to adopt problem-focused coping past the point when their efforts to change the situation will make a difference. They believe that they can achieve what they want to, just by trying hard. This type of
perfectionism can lead them to hold false and unrealistic expectations. They'd be better off sitting down and taking a breather rather than continually striving to change the unchangeable. In terms of the law students, unusually high demands tended to overwhelm them, causing their immune responses to fail.
Источник