I was recently judged by a friend for having a too negative and "unrealistic" worldview after a discussion about politics and my past symptoms were used as an example in support of their claim. It felt very isolating because I really trusted them. I don't want my intellect to be judged based off of a disease I can't control. I think I see the world just for what it is, while my friend is naive. And even though it might be a very dark place, it took a huge amount of positive energy for me to survive and thrive despite my past experiences. So I feel I could really use some understanding
Honestly, research has found that depressed people have a more ACCURATE world view, even though society would say that they're too negative. Most people don't have an accurate world view.
Literally came here to say this.
research has found that depressed people have a more ACCURATE world view
This is extremely dubious at best. One major aspect of depression is a dysfunction in perception so either that study is highly flawed or they played around too losely with the word "accurate".
If I showed a picture of a flower to two people, and one person said it was just a plant and the other said it was a beautiful representation of the natural world and the beauty of life. Technically one could argue the first person was more "accurate". But that doesn't mean their perception is correct. It just means they are struggling to see deeper value beyond superficial material aspects. Or the opposite, the deeper value they place on everything is purely negative.
The reality is, positive emotion and perception is vital to survival. There are objectively good and bad things in life. Life is a shade of grey, but many people filter all things in life through a lense of negativity. It is just as bad, if not worse, than toxic positivity.
Remember, the vast majority of studies aren't correct or verifiable. And when they make the news/media circuit, they are even more distorted and incorrect in their presentation. Especially those related to the human mind. That study sounds more more like cognitive dissonance and an attempt to try and justify depression as being an acceptable stay to continue in.
Ironically enough, trying to find positive aspect of something negative.
I've heard the same so many times and how many times have I ended up being right? LMFAO.
People love the rose-colored glasses and I think they are way more unrealistic than they believe - but they have society's script backing them and it seems to give them the right to be judgmental like that.
You interrupted your friends reality and that was unsettling for her so she essentially projected her unease back at you.
People have told me I’m pessimistic. I respond that I consider myself a realist. I hope for the best, expect the worst, because it often works out somewhere between the two. But rarely as rosy as I hope and luckily not as bad as it could.
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I think we all wear different lenses but it isn’t for others to judge why this is. Different personalities too. I can have some really dystopian political discussions with some people, and realise I’d better not with others. Myers-Briggs personality testing has really opened my eyes to the range of possibilities out there. Frank James has done some hilarious takes on the 16 different personalities identified on YouTube… if it’s your kind of thing that is.
Your friend is naïve, plain and simple. They're also lacking a bit in the empathy department if they can't understand how your experiences (and the experiences of literally billions of other people) could cause someone to have a "negative" worldview.