A study conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh reviewed data from more than 100,000 women over the age of 50 collected since 1994. They found that those women who reported having an optimistic view of life were 14 percent more likely to still be living – and 30 percent less likely to die from chronic health conditions.
It’s not surprising. According to Hilary Tindle, the study’s lead author and assistant professor of medicine at the University, “Optimistic people have more friends and a larger social network on which they can rely during crises; they also tend to cope better on their own with stress, a risk factor that has been associated with high blood pressure, heart disease and early death in previous studies.” The study also found that women exhibiting a cynical perspective had a higher death rate – in fact, they had a 23 percent greater risk of dying from cancer. The findings were reported at the American Psychosomatic Society’s recent annual meeting.
Researchers were unclear whether the findings were a result of an optimistic attitude helping reduce stress and health issues, or whether being optimistic lead to a healthier lifestyle. It also may be a combination of both, they suggest. Other research has shown that positive attitudes in people generally translate into better health, higher stamina levels, improved ability to fight disease and a longer life. “Optimistic people are less likely to smoke, they are more likely to be active and they are more likely to have a lower body mass index. All of these are risk factors that certainly matter for length of life and health,” says Tindle.
News Release: Positivity linked to longevity of life: a study www.themedguru.com March 6, 2009
