Lynne Truss on whether pessimism pays off But it's also a bit obvious, surely. Don't pessimism and caution naturally go hand in hand? Summing up his research, the lead author of the study (from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, in case you'd like to go there on holiday) suggested that pessimism about the future might "encourage people to live more carefully, taking health and safety precautions." Well, yes. May I remind you that this study involved 40,000 adults and took 10 years? And all that resulted, apparently, was the astonishing conclusion that the people who live a bit longer than others are generally also the people who think twice before putting themselves in patently life-threatening situations. Obviously, I was disappointed that the study didn't mention open manhole covers per se, but I'm sure we can all extrapolate for ourselves. For instance, when you hear that there's a Chinese bird flu epidemic, do you: A. Sensibly stay indoors for the next four years? or B. Kiss a lot of chickens, to show you're not scared? I am, of course, firmly of the "A" persuasion, which apparently means I shall be tragically condemned to extra years of watching other people do stupid, dangerous stuff - like the schoolboy I saw a couple of weeks ago, flying his tiny scooter off a high pavement to a road surface five feet below, and skidding out of control (shouting an alarming "Whoa!") directly into a quite busy main road. That's so stupid! I commented to the dog, not noticing the proximity of the schoolboy's friend who had been cheering him on. "It's not stupid at all," riposted the boy's friend, spiritedly (the little tyke). "Of course it's stupid," I replied, continuing to walk past. He could have hurt other people; he could have hurt himself; he could have landed on my dog; and he could have caused a road accident. "But it's not stupid!" he called after me, incensed at my judgmentalism. Bloody well is stupid! I insisted, calling back over my shoulder, hoping to get the last word. "No, it isn't!" the boy yelled. Oh, shut up! I yelled back. Honestly, I was so glad the dog was present to hear such an extremely well-argued exchange of considered opinions. I expect I've got the wrong end of the stick with this pessimism/optimism survey, but if its suggestion truly is that a longer life is one's reward for having generally low expectations - well, isn't that the most tragic thing you've ever heard? Ever since someone pointed out to me that any extra years you get in life (from not smoking, for example) are always added on the end, I have regarded longevity as a mixed blessing at best. What a burden this pessimism is, then. You see the bad stuff coming; it comes anyway; you get to see even more of it coming than you ever thought you would; and you never get the thrill of flying your scooter off a ledge into unseen, oncoming traffic. Oh, if one could only go through life blithely unaware of the pitfalls! If one could only look at one's life and say, "How can this go wrong?" And, of course, if one would only resist reading articles headlined, "I don't believe it! Pessimists keep their feet out of the grave. That would certainly be a help.