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Optimists Live Longer
New research reveals how positive thinking affects the body
If you look on the bright side, you just might live longer — much longer, according to some upbeat new research. And don’t be surprised if that rosy outlook also helps you sleep better at night.
A new study finds women who characterize themselves as having the highest levels of optimism live 15% longer than the least optimistic women and have a 50% greater chance of reaching age 85. The most optimistic men live 11% longer and are 70% more likely to reach 85. (The different results for men and women are not significant, the researchers say.)
The research, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, followed 69,744 women for 10 years and 1,429 men for 30 years. Both groups were surveyed at the outset to assess their level of optimism, as well as other factors that researchers accounted for, including demographics, health conditions, depression, and diet. Optimism is typically defined as a general expectation that good things will happen, or that the future will be favorable because a person can control important outcomes, the researchers explain.
Pessimists might say the study doesn’t prove cause-and-effect, and they’d be right, but this is just one of many studies linking optimism to improved health outcomes.
