Always looking on the bright side? Stop it! Why it’s sometimes better to be negative

You're having a truly awful day: your boss just yelled at you, there’s talk of retrenchments, you’re worried about a sick relative – and now as you stand in an elevator, a complete stranger tells you to “cheer up”.

You feel like giving him a piece of your mind but instead decide to vent on social media. Surely your friends will understand.

But when you open up your Facebook feed, it’s just wall-to-wall inspiration with people sharing platitudes like “Tears are for losers” and “When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life a thousand reasons to smile!”