The Conscientious and the Negative
May 1, 2013 Leave a comment
Will Oremus writes in Slate about a Contactually finding that “negative people” are better at responding to e-mail messages than “their positive, bubbly colleagues.”
The most surprising thing about this is that Oremus finds it surprising. I’ve long thought there was a connection between perceived negativity and conscientiousness.
More than twenty years ago, in what is only the most memorable of several such experiences I’ve had, a soon-to-be-famous playwright asked an overworked cast to come in an hour early for an unscheduled rehearsal. All of the actors cheerfully agreed, except the one that everyone expected to complain. The complainer pointed out how much time they were already being asked to devote to the show and only reluctantly agreed to the added rehearsal time. When the time for the extra rehearsal came, aside from the stage manager (me), only the complainer was on time. Even the playwright herself didn’t show.
Maybe conscientious people expect others to be equally conscientious and their disappointment makes them negative, while those who cheerfully ignore responsibilities they don’t care to fulfill rarely have reason to feel disappointed in others.
