This past week, every guy I know watched the Super Bowl ... and every girl I know watched He’s Just Not That Into You. Sure, plenty of girls will wait until this weekend to see it. But, for most of the girls I know, seeing a movie like that on Valentine’s Day without the requisite box of tissues, pint of Ben and Jerry’s and frumpy I’m-feeling-sorry-for-myself-pajamas is not an appealing option. The ghosts of Valentine’s past have left us with enough sense not to spend our Valentine’s Days watching women who look like Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Aniston struggle to get guys to love them.

Even my most optimistic friends, those with idealism so nauseating that I have to actively resist the urge to quote the hackneyed “I just threw up in my mouth a little bit” line on a regular basis, exhibit the classic Valentine’s Day bitterness. If they’re single, it means having to find something to do other than wallowing in self-pity, and if they’re taken or “involved,” it means pressure to do something romantic without going overboard. To avoid disappointment, it just makes sense for the girls of Cornell to be a little more cynical for one candy-heart-filled day of the year.

Like Valentine’s Day, however, cynicism has gotten itself a little bit of a bad rep over time. Personally, I tend to have a more cynical view of the world — something developed from years of tripping on anything within a yard of my feet and never winning Bingo in elementary school — and it serves me pretty well. Unfortunately, its merits are often overlooked merely because of its somewhat inhibiting manifestations and their mildly destructive consequences. OK, maybe you might not be so willing to take risks if you’re a little more pessimistic, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing. And, on the bright, not-so-cynical side, maybe the benefits of cynicism outweigh the consequences.

Cynics tend to question pre-existing conventions and ideas. As a result, they are capable of pointing out problems that other people might not notice or anticipate. So while other people are scrambling to get a reservation at their girlfriends’ favorite overpriced restaurant for Valentine’s Day, the cynic figured out a long time ago that all the good restaurants will be booked early. So, they planned to treat their lovely date to one of their coveted “guest swipes” on their student I.D. at Appel for a nice make-your-own-salad. Only the best for Valentine’s!

Also of particular importance for Cornellians, cynicism can promote determination and good work habits. While optimists expect success, cynics anticipate failure. Therefore, they are motivated to study even harder to prevent their low expectations from coming to fruition. And it’s not just in study habits, either. A cynical girl might, for example, believe that guys are generally shallow. She might, therefore, be motivated to spend more time at the gym. So now the cynical girl is smarter and hotter! Guess who’s got a date for Valentine’s Day now?

I should clarify that it’s not negativity I’m promoting here. A cynic doesn’t twist a positive event and make it bad. They just expect the worst and are surprised by anything else. So when you give a cynic a box of chocolates, that doesn’t mean they aren’t happy about it. It just means that they think it will probably taste bad.

Even if you despise all things mushy, Valentine’s Day can be enjoyable by sheer virtue of the fact that it brings out your inner cynic. Instead of moping around and being lonely or stressing over how many x’s and o’s might be too many on the Facebook post you’re writing on the wall of that girl you made out with four days ago, embrace the cynical side of things and expect it to suck. This way, when that guy you’ve been dating for a year accidentally asked another girl to his formal, you think about how your feet won’t be throbbing from wearing heels all night. Or if that girl you want to say “I love you” to for the first time screens your calls because she’s out with some hot senior, you focus on all the minutes you save on your cell phone bill. And hey, there’s always the chance that you’ll be pleasantly surprised and have a truly happy Valentine’s Day with someone you love ... but, then again, probably not.