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The power of

..and more!

¢ Being a pessimist isn't all bad

¢ #10YearChallenge focuses too much on physical beauty

¢ Rants in your Pants

negative

thinking compels you

» Being a pessimist isn't all bad

Jessica Berget Opinions Editor

ptimism gets too good of a

rap. I think it’s viewed too much as a redeeming quality in people, while pessimism is seen as a deterrent. Sure, optimism has its benefits, but people need to start understanding that thinking negatively sometimes can be a positive thing.

People often complain about being frustrated by negative people. Well, I’m frustrated by positive people. I think the refrain of “stay positive!” or “not all people are bad” is a tired, unrealistic view. It’s important to look on the dark side of life. Realize that there is good and bad (but mostly bad) in everyone.

The truth is we need both pessimism and optimism in our lives because they each have redeeming qualities. However, people look down on pessimism as a negative characteristic. Being pessimistic doesn’t mean you are miserable all the time; it just means you think more critically about

the world around you and more cautiously about the people you

let in and the decisions you make. Still, many have their quarrels with it. To me, this critical perspective is better than wearing rose-coloured glasses and being naive (sorry optimists).

Being pessimistic doesn't necessarily mean you're always angry—you simply expect the worst. People who are pessimistic also tend to be more practical, since they have lower expectations. Expecting the worst out of any situation or any person makes you more cautious and less vulnerable to people who prey on trusting, innocent, or optimistic people. If you are too trusting or nice because you consider yourself an optimist, people can and will take advantage of that.

Assuming the worst makes you weigh every possible outcome in any situation. It also makes you think of everything that could go wrong ina scenario, so you're mentally and emotionally prepared for it. Ultimately, it equips you for the worst and makes the outcome seem not as scary as it might have if

Instagram celebrity-endorsed. products are a scam

» They may seem trustworthy, but think again

Jessica Berget Opinions Editor

very time I scroll through my Instagram

feed, many of the posts I see are either advertisements or Instagram influencer endorsements. For some, buying products because a celebrity said to is a no-brainer— you shouldn't do it. For others, the answer is not so cut-and-dry.

Ina 2017 poll by tech company Morning Consult to see how many people trust celebrity advertisements, it was found that 30 percent of millennials surveyed “give some credence to celebrity advertisements,” and 18 percent said they trust them a lot. That’s 48 percent of people who believe celebrity endorsements. I am talking to you, the 48 percent. Don’t believe whatever garbage these social figures are trying to sell you.

I know it’s easy to believe Instagram celebrity advertisements because they don’t even seem like advertisements. There’s a level of personability when following a celebrity or influencer on social media. You see their posts every day—what they eat, what they’re wearing, where they're going.

you hadn't planned for it.

Pessimism does have downsides—for instance, thinking negatively about yourself and your life is not going to make you successful or happy. However, optimism is not without its faults. Research has shown that being too positive makes you too trusting and overly confident, as reported by The Globe and Mail. Another study has revealed pessimists generally also live longer because “those with low expectations for a ‘satisfying future’ actually led healthier lives,” as reported in The Daily Mail. Lead author Frieder R. Lang said about the findings, which were drawn from 40,000 adults across a range of ages, “Pessimism about the future may encourage people to live more carefully, taking health and safety precautions.”

No one way of looking at life is better. It’s important to harness both optimistic and negative attributes in different situations. Sure, optimism can be good for some things, but I recommend looking at the glass half-empty once ina while.

It feels as if you know them personally.

Asa result, when they make a post about

a product they say they use, it doesn’t

sound or feel like a commercial; rather, it

looks like a recommendation or a review.

It seems more trustworthy. Making

celebrities endorse products adds a

sense of trust and familiarity so people

go for that product. Therein lies the rub. Just because they seem genuine,

doesn’t mean they are. In fact, most

products endorsed by celebrities on

Instagram or “influencers” are a huge

scam. Take the detox tea for instance,

or “teatox” as they so adorably refer

to it. Although many celebrities and

influencers endorse the product and

the many different companies that

have their own, detox teas are not

good for you. These companies just

prey on people's insecurities to sell

their products. Celebrities are only

advertising these goods because they are

getting paid to do it, not because they

like or even use these products, which

is one reason why you shouldn't trust

them.

Furthermore, despite those “before and after” photos, these products are often ineffective and can actually be really unhealthy (as with most products celebrities are paid to advertise). For example, the primary ingredient in these detox teas is something called senna, which acts as a laxative. Lyfe Tea states outright that senna “work[s] as a laxative by smoothing the muscles as digested food moves through the intestines. This helps to move it out of the colon.” It cleans out your system, all right.

This detoxing tea is not healthy or something people should be integrating into their routine, and they really shouldn't be taking it for two weeks straight as a way to lose weight. Instagrammers don’t mention that in their endorsements, do they?

Think twice or even three times before considering purchasing a product you see advertised ona popular Instagram page. These people are getting paid to sell a company’s products, so they don't really care whether the products work or not—and they usually don't.

Photo via kyliejenner on Instagram