Some people proudly call themselves pessimists. But a study says that negativity really hurts their brains even though they find it amusing when it gets on other people's nerves.

It's Stressful Dealing With A Pessimist

"Glass half empty" people discourage you and make you feel exhausted, that's the truth.

While that might seem amusing to them, it does a lot of damage to their brains. Apparently, that negativity registers in their minds and makes the brain neurons suffer.

The part affected is the hippocampus, which handles memory and reasoning.

Luckily, the brain is quite resilient, and it can bounce back from weeks of stress. But when the stress that negativity causes go on and on, the neurons suffer permanent damage.

And that means the brain's ability to reason and remember declines.

The negativity might seem funny, and you might laugh about it and enjoy how much your pessimism gets on others, but it affects the pessimist too.

The Brain Does Not Think You Are Joking

The thalamus and the amygdala actually believe you are being negative when you make pessimistic comments and jokes.

So, it's all negativity to the brain, according to Rick Hanson, a noted neurophysiologist, even though it seems funny to the person making the pessimistic comments.

"Experiences can foster the growth of new synapses and even change your genes, making the control of your experienced stimuli a matter that could affect your future offspring."

You have to admit, that's sounds pretty serious.

Apparently, the concept is called "experience-dependent neuroplasticity," which claims that our thoughts and experiences can shape our brains.

And it's not just the pessimist who suffers, but their future generations as well.

This Means It's Time To Act

If you are always negative and considering it your brand of humor, then you need to stop before you damage your brain and even pass on the negative consequences to your children.

This also means you should seriously rethink relationships with people who are forever negative. As you know, negativity, whether coming from within you or from other people, makes you stressed.

Stress, Studies Have Shown, Impairs Your Cognitive Abilities

So, your brain is not safe from damage just because you are not the source of the negativity.

So, out of love, and if you know your advice will be welcome, you can tell the person what damage they are doing to themselves by having a negative attitude about everything.

If that fails, then let them understand that you will not put up with the toxic environment they create with their negative comments as that misery will make you suffer mentally and psychologically.

In other words, it's time you chose positivity over negativity for the sake of your mental health.

So, if you know of any strategies you believe can help you deal with negative people, this would be a good time to put them to proper use. Your brain and your future generations will thank you for it. And that's a scientific fact. We are not simply hating on pessimists here.