I raised this question because of the optimist/pessimist interpretation connected to the answer of the question. For some years now, I’ve found this question and that assumption to be seriously flawed.
I’ve seen people give the half full answer at meetings in the hopes of showing their boss that they’re optimists. It misses the point, I think. When people state what they is what some think is the positive side of things, it doesn’t make them an optimist. Neither does stating the lack of something make one a pessimist.
There are far more motivations and perspectives and thought processes behind the answer, and thinking a simple question like this can capture the character of the person who answers it makes psychology and any philosophy of the human person diluted and vulgar.
I recall a business that once held the number one spot for the instant noodle category in a country. Some years later, they discovered they were now the number two brand of the same category. In a board meeting, it was raised as a concern. But the team told the top level people it was under control and they were still number one in a narrower category;The mini noodle category, which they claimed mattered more as they made more per sale (because it was a premium product). Some years later, they lost that position, too. As the new number one improved their mini noodle product considerably. In another meeting, the team stated how they were still okay because they remained number one in a major region in the country. Time passed, and they lost that, too. They eventually held on to being number one in a particular flavor of instant noodles, one the top dog never cared about and probably never will as it is not a culturally popular flavor.
They kept seeing what was still left in the glass until it was nearly empty. One top guy remained optimistic because the team appeared to be optimistic. But I doubt that was the case and I think you’d agree.
In summary, I think, asking and hearing the answer to whether it’s half full or half empty doesn’t show what a person is really thinking.
- It may not be optimism or pessimism.
- It could be sheer laziness that says I’m not worried.
- It could be a passive excuse to not fill the glass to abundance.
- It could be a passion to demand and act for more from life.
- It could be a complaint filled with surrender that so little is there.
- It could be gratitude that one still has enough.
- It could be so many other things.
The question and the standard assumption misses the complexity of how we think and who we are.
It is far better to continue the question with another and another. To see what the thought process behind the answer was and where it will take us.
Anyways, I'll love to hear your own input on this if you think this question is right as a yardstick to use in judgement of character.