Pessimism Bias (Why do some people think they are destined to fail?)
The pessimism bias, a brief explanation
What is the pessimism bias?
The pessimism bias is the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of negative events occurring whilst underestimating the likelihood of positive events occurring.
Example
When completing an exam you may think that you are going to fail even though you have put the time in to prepare so that you actually get a good grade.
The literature
Hammad, A. M., Hamed, R., Al-Qerem, W., Bandar, A. & Scott Hall, F. (2021). Optimism bias, pessimism bias, magical beliefs, and conspiracy theory beliefs related to COVID-19 among the Jordanian population. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 104(5), 1661-1671. Doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-1412
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