The pessimists among us may end up being right in the end, but we can’t deny that optimists have more fun throughout the journey. It seems that looking at the brighter side of things is more than a nifty tool to help play the cards you’re dealt – it’s actually good for your health too, according to a new study.

Researchers from Harvard discovered that women who are optimistic live an average of four years longer compared to their more pessimistic peers.

In addition, people who are considered very optimistic have a ten percent greater chance to reach 90 years of age than those at the other end of the spectrum, very pessimistic women.

The average life expectancy in the U.S. is just under 80 years old. In Australia, the average life expectancy is 81.2 years for males and 85.3 years for females (as of data from 2020).

Although the study did not determine a specific reason behind the disparity in lifespan, experts have always known that there is a link between positive thinking and a healthier life.

“A lot of previous work has focused on deficits or risk factors that increase the risks for diseases and premature death,” the study's lead author Dr Hayami Koga explained in a statement.

“Our findings suggest that there's value to focusing on positive psychological factors, like optimism, as possible new ways of promoting longevity and healthy aging across diverse groups.”

Stay positive, folks! Image Credit: Home Care​

Researchers, who published their data on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, built on findings from a previous study.

The previous study discovered that optimism increased a person's probability of 'exceptional longevity', or living until at least 85 years old.

However, it faced heavy criticism for exclusively studying white populations, which is not a representative sample of the United States – known as a melting pot of various cultures and races.

This is especially crucial as there are also known factors that can lead to women of colour dying earlier than their white peers, such as higher poverty rates and greater odds of suffering from a chronic disease.

This time around, the researchers ensured to be more inclusive with their population in an effort to match the American public.

They collected data from nearly 160,000 women from the Women's Health Initiative who enrolled in the program back in 1993 to 1998. The survey was narrowed down to post-menopausal women in the U.S.

They kept tabs on the women for 26 years and gauged their overall level of optimism.

As a result, they found that those who were determined to be the most optimistic, the top 25 percent among the group, had longer life spans.

“Optimism is a positive health factor,” the researchers stated. A rare twist in a medical field that usually only highlights the negative risk factors of various behaviours.

“Optimism is a positive health factor,” Image Credit: Hudson NH​

“We tend to focus on the negative risk factors that affect our health,” Koga said.

“It is also important to think about the positive resources, such as optimism, that may be beneficial to our health, especially if we see that these benefits are seen across racial and ethnic groups.”

Even after expanding the population, the results came out the same. Women of all races benefitted from having a more optimistic outlook on life.

“Although optimism itself may be affected by social structural factors, such as race and ethnicity, our research suggests that the benefits of optimism may hold across diverse groups,” Koga continued.

The specific link between optimism and a healthier, longer life is not yet conclusively understood by the experts, but there are a number of theories.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University believe it boils down to heart health.

People who are more optimistic worry less and their general outlook leads to positive thoughts. This simple mindset keeps their hearts healthy.

Meanwhile, people who live more stressful lives plagued with anxiety and worry, increase their risks of suffering from serious heart conditions.

So, the next time you hit a bump in the road, don’t fret! Laugh it off and keep moving forward. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic? Let us know in the comments!

Learn more about optimism and health by watching the video below:

Video Credit: Mayo Clinic​

 

[Ricci]

I have trouble with this type of research. None of us comes with a use by date so how can anyone say when your times up or whether you've been able to stretch it out? I will say though that an optimistic attitude makes the journey much more enjoyable and the time fly by.

 

[Jest]

Study finds that staying positive can extend your lifespan by over four years and boost your chances of living until 90 by 10 percent! ​

The pessimists among us may end up being right in the end, but we can’t deny that optimists have more fun throughout the journey. It seems that looking at the brighter side of things is more than a nifty tool to help play the cards you’re dealt – it’s actually good for your health too, according to a new study.

Researchers from Harvard discovered that women who are optimistic live an average of four years longer compared to their more pessimistic peers.

In addition, people who are considered very optimistic have a ten percent greater chance to reach 90 years of age than those at the other end of the spectrum, very pessimistic women.

​

The average life expectancy in the U.S. is just under 80 years old. In Australia, the average life expectancy is 81.2 years for males and 85.3 years for females (as of data from 2020).

Although the study did not determine a specific reason behind the disparity in lifespan, experts have always known that there is a link between positive thinking and a healthier life.

“A lot of previous work has focused on deficits or risk factors that increase the risks for diseases and premature death,” the study's lead author Dr Hayami Koga explained in a statement.

“Our findings suggest that there's value to focusing on positive psychological factors, like optimism, as possible new ways of promoting longevity and healthy aging across diverse groups.”

Stay positive, folks! Image Credit: Home Care​

Researchers, who published their data on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, built on findings from a previous study.

The previous study discovered that optimism increased a person's probability of 'exceptional longevity', or living until at least 85 years old.

However, it faced heavy criticism for exclusively studying white populations, which is not a representative sample of the United States – known as a melting pot of various cultures and races.

This is especially crucial as there are also known factors that can lead to women of colour dying earlier than their white peers, such as higher poverty rates and greater odds of suffering from a chronic disease.

​

This time around, the researchers ensured to be more inclusive with their population in an effort to match the American public.

They collected data from nearly 160,000 women from the Women's Health Initiative who enrolled in the program back in 1993 to 1998. The survey was narrowed down to post-menopausal women in the U.S.

They kept tabs on the women for 26 years and gauged their overall level of optimism.

As a result, they found that those who were determined to be the most optimistic, the top 25 percent among the group, had longer life spans.

“Optimism is a positive health factor,” the researchers stated. A rare twist in a medical field that usually only highlights the negative risk factors of various behaviours.

“Optimism is a positive health factor,” Image Credit: Hudson NH​

“We tend to focus on the negative risk factors that affect our health,” Koga said.

“It is also important to think about the positive resources, such as optimism, that may be beneficial to our health, especially if we see that these benefits are seen across racial and ethnic groups.”

Even after expanding the population, the results came out the same. Women of all races benefitted from having a more optimistic outlook on life.

“Although optimism itself may be affected by social structural factors, such as race and ethnicity, our research suggests that the benefits of optimism may hold across diverse groups,” Koga continued.

The specific link between optimism and a healthier, longer life is not yet conclusively understood by the experts, but there are a number of theories.

​

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University believe it boils down to heart health.

People who are more optimistic worry less and their general outlook leads to positive thoughts. This simple mindset keeps their hearts healthy.

Meanwhile, people who live more stressful lives plagued with anxiety and worry, increase their risks of suffering from serious heart conditions.

So, the next time you hit a bump in the road, don’t fret! Laugh it off and keep moving forward. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic? Let us know in the comments!

Learn more about optimism and health by watching the video below:

Video Credit: Mayo Clinic​

optimism or not i am almost 83 and had cancer, heart, everything else in between. now ivg every 4 weeks and still chugging along. what a load of tripe.