DR. WALLACE: My younger brother is definitely a victim of wishful thinking! He always expects good things to happen to him randomly. Then when they don't happen, he seems to think that his next big break is "just around the corner." The first few times I noticed this, I kept waiting to hear him say how disappointed he was after what I knew wouldn't happen didn't happen. But instead, he just moved on to another segment of some different wishful thinking! I was amazed that he took the hit and simply "reloaded mentally" and went on without seeming to miss a beat.

He's actually a nice brother and a pretty good student too, but I'm worried that someday he will finally crack mentally under all of the pressure of his unfulfilled expectations. Should I tell him the secret that I've learned already, which is that life does not simply dish out wishes like a cafeteria worker handing you lunch? — My Brother Is a Constant Dreamer, via email

MY BROTHER IS A CONSTANT DREAMER: Your life experiences aside, everyone is wired differently via the random allocation of various genetic and personality traits we all have. It appears that your younger brother has a large extra helping of the positivity gene. Since you describe him as a nice person overall, I see nothing wrong with him remaining expectant of positive developments to make their way into his life at some point. This is reflected by his "rolling" expectations, as you pointed out. He is not crushed when one specific hope and desire does not appear quickly; he simply moves forward with a new one. This indicates to me that this is more of a core personality trait than any form of intentional or even inadvertent form of self-delusion.

My advice is to simply monitor him, engage him in discussions about what he's currently hoping for, and so on. At some point, something positive of significance will likely occur for him, so his reaction to that might be quite interesting to observe up close and in person. Do talk to him when something like this happens and simply take note that he is wired a bit differently than most people are. You might also be aware that some people, particularly athletes, actually speak positively of their future performances and some even go so far as to visualize success before an important event. Your brother is doing something similar, but it appears more innate than choreographed in his case.

MY NEW GUY IS SIMPLY NOT A TEAM PLAYER

DR. WALLACE: The girls in my peer group all have boyfriends, and they often like to get together in groups of couples to do various activities. We are all juniors in high school, and I'm a girl who's typically had a steady boyfriend, but my last boyfriend and I broke up a few months ago. I recently met a new guy and started dating him, but things aren't really working out all that well between the two of us, as the truth is, we are not all that happy together.

We are constantly bickering and frustrated with each other. He looks reasonable enough, but I find him to be very selfish and always interested in getting his own way. The word compromise is not part of his vocabulary. We may occasionally see a fun movie together or do something we both enjoy, like hiking for an hour or so, but before we're even back home, the bickering and complaining always seem to restart like clockwork. Is it possible to get our relationship calmed down and smoothed out soon? Not only is it no fun, but it's exhausting and I feel so mentally tired and frustrated at the end of each day. However, the good thing is that he does not mind attending all the group events we get invited to, so he does have some utility to me. — No Compromise Is His Motto, via email

NO COMPROMISE IS HIS MOTTO: It's now much better for the two of you to move on so that you can both restart your dating lives in a better way. You've likely overstayed this relationship in your effort to have a "plus one" to attend the group events with you. Instead of prolonging the mutual frustration the two of you seem to be experiencing regularly, instead look for another solution to solve your preference for attending group outings with a guy.

Go through your list of male friends and acquaintances that you would be comfortable hanging out with and see if one of them would be willing to attend a few of the group events with you, even though you're not going to be a formal couple and it won't be a traditional date.

Be upfront about this and your motivations in advance, so that there are no misunderstandings, and so that someone who accepts this offer will fully understand the dynamic and be able to relax and enjoy a nice time socially with the group. That would at least balance things out and provide you with a sidekick so that you wouldn't feel the odd person out during these outings.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Clay Banks at Unsplash