<a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119454102049486710.html">Here is the article lawyerliz mentioned.</a>
<em>
Yet those who saw the future too brightly -- people who in the survey overestimated their own likely lifespan by 20 years or more -- behaved in just the opposite way, the researchers discovered.</em>
<p class="times"><em>Rather than save, they squandered. They postponed bill-paying. Instead of taking the long view, they barely looked past tomorrow. Statistically, they were more likely to be day traders. "Optimism is a little like red wine," said Duke finance professor and study co-author Manju Puri. "In moderation, it is good for you; but no one would suggest you drink two bottles a day."</em></p>
<p class="times">Sounds a lot like the bulls over at Lansner's blog.
</p>
<em>Indeed, the researchers suspect that the breakdown of this brain network may contribute to clinical depression. All in all, Dr. Seligman said, optimists tend to do better in life than their talents alone might suggest.</em>
<p class="times"><em>Except lawyers.</em></p>
<p class="times"><em>Surveying law students at the University of Virginia, he found that pessimists got better grades, were more likely to make law review and, upon graduation, received better job offers. There was no scientific reason. "In law," he said, "pessimism is considered prudence."</em></p>