My English Homework Pessimism is a state of mind in which one perceives life negatively.The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events will last a long time ,will undermine everything they do,and are their own fault.The most common example of this phenomenon is the "Is the glass half empty or half full?" situation where the pessimist would pick half empty while the optimists would choose half full. As is not hard to see, pessimism influence people's lives adversely from the global perspective.Confined by themselves spontaneously,the pessimists do much worse both in school and at work than the optimists.When it comes to running for office,the pessimists are also less apt to be elected than the optimists are.What's worse,the pessimists may even get physically sick more often,as some evidence suggests. Despite of what has been mentioned ,however,pessimism can be completely eliminated if proper measures are carried out.To begin with,recognize your personal strengths and weaknesses.As self-acceptance grows,shyness naturally diminishes.Secondly, accept criticism thoughtfully.Do not interpret it as a personal attack.Most importantly, learn that it's actions that really count,rather than the way you look at things.