How Optimistic Are You?

Seeing the glass as half full/half empty might be simplifying things a bit too much. That’s why BeliefNet has come up with a quiz to rate how optimistic you are, on a scale of 9 to 36. Just answer the nine questions that cast you in testy situations ranging from getting fired, to failing to lose weight, to getting red wine spilled on your new white shirt. Are you really the eternal optimist?

BeliefNet aptly compares your level of optimism/pessimism with the weather unfolding above you. Score below a 14 and you’ll find thunderstorms are brewing. ‘Not only do you tend to make the worst of most situations, you also seem to think that mistakes and unfortunate occurrences usually have long-term bad consequences.’ Yikes! Score between a 15 and a 21 and you can expect scattered showers. ‘You think negatively about the short-term but that doesn’t seem to affect your view of life in general.’ Score above a 21 and you’ll find sunshine in your life. The occasional cloud may pass overhead. That’s because ‘you see the good side of the present moment but don’t necessarily incorporate that into your overall attitude.’

So are you running off to find an umbrella or tanning lotion?
— Jacob Wheeler