Live Long and Smile; Keep Smiling, Be Healthy Article courtesy of Natural Life
Being an optimist could help you live longer, according to a Dutch study
published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The most optimistic men
in a group of 545 men aged 64 to 84 had a 50 percent lower risk of
cardiovascular death when compared with the least optimistic. The study measured
participants' levels of optimism about their lives over a span of 15 years by
having them respond to statements such as "I do not look forward to what lies
ahead for me in the years to come," and "My days seem to be passing by slowly,"
or "I am still full of plans." None of the participants had pre-existing
cardiovascular disease or cancer.
Higher optimism scores were associated with younger age, higher education, less
often living alone, better health, a higher physical activity score and a lower
depression score in 1990. On a scale from zero to three, with three being the
most optimistic, the average scores decreased from 1.50 in 1985 to 1.27 in 2000.
"Optimism can be estimated easily and is stable over long periods, though it
does tend to decrease with age," says lead researcher Dr. Erik J. Giltay of the
Institute of Mental Health in Delft, the Netherlands.
According to background information in the article, studies suggest that a
person's optimism can predict their well-being and physical health. Being
optimistic has been associated with better health outcomes in patients with
ischemic heart disease (caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries), and with
a lower risk for all-cause death and cardiovascular disease and death. The study
authors focused on dispositional optimism, defined as having generally positive
life engagement and expectancies for one's future.