Optimism Linked to Reduced Mortality

Being optimistic could lengthen your life, a new study suggests.

Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology,\r\nresearchers at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that women\r\nwith “a general expectation that good things will happen” had significantly\r\nlower risk of several deadly diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke,\r\nrespiratory disease and infection compared to less optimistic women.

\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n

“While most medical and public health efforts today\r\nfocus on reducing risk factors for diseases, evidence has been mounting that\r\nenhancing psychological resilience may also make a difference,” said Eric Kim,\r\nresearch fellow in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and co-lead\r\nauthor of the study. “Our new findings suggest that we should make efforts to\r\nboost optimism, which has been shown to be associated with healthier behaviors\r\nand healthier ways of coping with life challenges.”

\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n

Furthermore, researchers found “healthy behaviors\r\nonly partially explain the link between optimism and reduced mortality risk.”

\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n

For the study, researchers looked at data from\r\n70,000 female participants in the Nurse’s Health Study, which examines women’s\r\nhealth every two years via surveys.

\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n

Specifically, they looked at the women’s level of\r\noptimism as well as other factors such as overall health, race, diet and\r\nphysical activity.

\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n

They found the most optimistic woman had nearly a 30\r\npercent lower risk of dying from disease. For example they had a 16 percent\r\nlower risk of dying from cancer, a 38 percent lower risk of dying from heart\r\ndisease, a 39 percent lower risk of dying from stroke, a 38 percent lower risk\r\nof dying from respiratory disease and a 52 percent lower risk of dying from\r\ninfection compared to the least optimistic women in the study.

\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n

Researchers noted other studies have linked optimism\r\nwith reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, but this was the first\r\nto link optimism with reduced mortality from other diseases.

\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n

“Previous studies have shown that optimism can be\r\naltered with relatively uncomplicated and low-cost interventions, even\r\nsomething as simple as having people write down and think about the best\r\npossible outcomes for various areas of their lives, such as careers or\r\nfriendships,” said postdoctoral research fellow Kaitlin Hagan,\r\nco-lead author of the study. “Encouraging use of these interventions could be\r\nan innovative way to enhance health in the future.”

\r\n\r\n

VOA\r\nNews