SCientists who work on failing projects are the most optimistic people in the world

I have come to believe that even though they are the most depressed people in the world that really, scientists who work on projects that have been failures for several years are the most optimisitc people in the world.

You see, most people have never been confronted with things not working. Most people in fact have never been confronted with failures as deep and terrible as having something so innately tied into one'se self esteem as one's mind -which is what scence research work is like really- be proven publicly to be unworkable or a failure.. or really I suppose a distinct lack of success... all the time.Often those scientists are not terribly social. They haven't much of a sociallife, their work is everything, and ...somehow they rouse themselves every day to go in and work..

working is easy when things go well or at least there is some tangible product like you helped a customer, solved some little problem even if it was just figuring out how to organize a filing cabinet or cleaning off a desk... but when you haven't got that sort of thing to boost your sense of productivity...? It's darned depressing and how could anyone motivate him or herself to go in after it time and time again?

I figure it must be that those people are just the most phenomenal optimists in the world. Yup.

So the next time you see a struggling scientist... pat him or her on the back and say, wow, I really admire your optimism!
;)

disclaimer: If you get socked for having said that, I hereby release myself from any and all ersponsibility for your medical bills. ;)