Optimism is different than pain avoidance. But they can look the same.
Optimists think it’s going to work out, believe in the best case scenario, but have to be willing to be disappointed. That’s the price for optimism, living in a certain degree of letdown.
A pain avoider thinks it’s going to work out because it’s too painful to think otherwise. So when the letdown or disappointment come it gets side stepped for the sake of moving on to the next thing that hopefully won’t be painful.
Optimism can be very painful.
Which can lead to pain avoidance.
But then
Pain avoidance can be very painful (in the long run).
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