Are you the kind of person to use more negative than positive when you talk, or just in life? Like 'Oh this bottle is half empty' instead of 'Oh this bottle is half full'. It could also so 'Oh look this doesn't look hard' instead of saying 'Oh it looks easy'. You get it?
In terms of the glass/bottle thing though, for me it depends what direction it's going. If it starts off full and gets drunk, it's half empty. If it starts off empty and gets more added, it's half full
Optimist: The bottle is half full Pessimist: The bottle is half empty Realist: The bottle is. Idealist: The bottle should be full. Feminist: My bottle seems LESS full than HIS bottle. Enviromentalist: Save the water. Anarchist: Break the bottle! Capitalist: Let's sell the bottle. Chemist: It's 50% H2O, 40% N2 + 10% O2
I've had a friend, a girl, with some personal problems, who is, let's say, negative-minded person. Her speeches often were built on verb negation: "i'm not interested in men like...", "I'm not chasing fashion", "I don't see a (adjective) man", and so on. This was quite noteable.
Another thing: among people I know many in their speech start their reply with a parasite-word "no". Maybe it's linguistic and cultural thing, maybe not much, since I've heard Italians speaking in the same way. You say one thing, the person wants to add something and starts with "No, I agree." This looks strange in English, and for me it sounds weird in Russian too! Maybe it started from a habbit to say "Wait, but", "But..." or "No, I don't mind that...", "No objections". Anyway often it sounds crazy:
- So will you come to play paintball with us?
- No, (In a fraction of second you perceive this as a rejection) of course I will come! (then some details follow)
- Dad, do you know there is such a bad habbit to start a reply with "no". It's much better to start a phrase with "Yes, but..."
- No, of course I agree!
- You've just said "no" before saying that you agree.
- Oh, really?! Did I?
I don't use negative over positive because of characteristics. Most of the time, I'm realistic. It depends on the situation if I'm positive or negative
when the glass is half empty it's all you have and nothing more will come. when it's half full there's still the chance that there's more to come i would say i'm the latter. or at least i hope so
I'm more negative, but I think I have become that way, rather than being born that way. Anyway this thread is totally pointless, nothing matters, I hate the world.
If a glass tips over in the forest, was it half empty or half full?
To put a spin on things, I usually say "It's only half empty!". Which could be perceived as half full. Also, on the no thing, I used to do that a lot. Like, every sentence.
What bothers me about the glass thing is that half full and half empty imply different situations: half full = the glass used to be empty and is being filled up; half empty = the glass used to be full and is being drained.
In the past I never did consider the use of positives or negatives when speaking to people, I just didn't think about it. Now, I try and restructure the language I use, including my internal thinking and internal self talk into positives. I find, in myself, thinking and talking in positives helps me take control of situations that I didn't find easy. Now whether this is due to more experience in life or whether it is because now I have become aware of my own thinking processes I cannot say. What I do realize is that it works well for me and the best thing for anyone to do is what works well for yourself, isn't it?
The glass/bottle half full or half empty argument boggles me. It could be either depending on the purpose - are you filling the glass or emptying it? And then you can reverse the logic and it still makes sense.
Although there is one thing I can say and that is, don't click on this link.
