How to Avoid Getting More Pessimistic With Each Passing Year Share Photo: patpitchaya, Shutterstock To sign up for our daily newsletter covering the latest news, hacks and reviews, head HERE. For a running feed of all our stories, follow us on Twitter HERE. Or you can bookmark the Lifehacker Australia homepage to visit whenever you need a fix. Pessimism gets a bad rap, but in reality, the negative-leaning outlook can serve some important functions. These include everything from helping us process anger, to entering a new relationship with realistic expectations, to setting us up to accomplish our goals. And, according to performance expert Steven Kotler — author of