I just read a ‘damn Interesting’ article. On it, the author explains how the ‘mentally disordered’ have a much more accurate view of our world than that of ‘normal people’. As he explains in the opening paragraphs, although “realistic perceptions [of our world] have been considered essential to good mental health”, this is far from the truth.
Apparently, in order to survive in this crazy world of ours, we need a constant ‘positive bias’ that tells us our lives and our world are better than they actually are. It is only through this self-delussion, the author suggests, that we are able to cope with the many issues we face every day.
If this is true (and I have no reason to believe it is not), then I need to be careful. I have a very dear friend who has a constant negative bias; I often dismiss a lot of his worries as being unrealistic, clouded by his negative bias. In his world, if there are 2 explanations to why someone behaved badly, the worst one is usually the one he chooses to believe.
I always thought him a bit silly, and certainly not a realistic person. But based on this article, maybe his view is more realistic than mine, at least more often than I’d care to accept.
On the other hand, I like living a happy life. Even if it’s misguided.Bring it on, positive bias — I’d rather be a happy fool than a miserable genius!
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I believe most people delude themselves. What it comes down to is honesty, being honest with yourself. Self love is the key, by putting all your love into yourself first, everything else can be given away without cost. It’s the best investment you can make. You can be honest and realistic about whatever happens around you, yet still feel empowered and respond in the best possible way. When everything around you is going wrong, you’re still strong.
DIEGO’s RESPONSE:
I agree with everything you said Tone; yet the reality is that (as the statistically-validated study proved) we all have an inherent level of positive bias. I guess to feel empowered we need to believe that we can influence the future enough to make it better; and in reality, that may be true only in some proportion of cases. Yet what is also true is that if you believe enough that you can change your future, then anything becomes possible. It is one of life’s eternal paradoxes.
Thanks for dropping by and participating in the discussion!