Look on the Bright Side

The results of Tuesday’s election got you down? Get over it. Instead, look at all the positives in your life, like the fact you live in a country where you get to vote and can worry about taxes rather than war or famine. Maintaining a positive outlook could lengthen your life.

A Dutch study, published in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, found that being an optimist lessens your chances of dying from heart disease and other causes. More than 900 men and women, ages 65 to 85, were followed for nine years. At the study outset they filled out a questionnaire on health, self-respect, morale, optimism and relationships.

The people who described themselves as being highly optimistic had lower rates of cardiovascular death during the nine years and less risk of death from any cause than people who said they were highly pessimistic.

During the study period, there were 397 deaths. Those with the highest level of optimism had the lowest death rate – 30 percent. The death rate was 57 percent among the most pessimistic group. The biggest difference was in the realm of heart disease. The most optimistic were 77 percent less likely to die of a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular disease than the most pessimistic. This was regardless of factors such as age, weight, smoking or pre-existing conditions.

The researchers say it is possible that those who are pessimistic were in poorer health generally, possibly suffering from undiagnosed problems. However, it is also likely that having a positive outlook improves well-being. For example, optimists may be better at coping with adversity and may be more likely to comply with a doctor’s orders when they are ill. It is also possible that a positive disposition affects hormonal and immune systems.

Poor emotional health can weaken your body’s immune system, making you more likely to get colds and other infections during emotionally difficult times. Also, when you are feeling stressed, anxious or upset, you may not take care of your health as well as you should, warns the American Academy of Family Physicians.

“A predisposition toward optimism seemed to provide a survival benefit in elderly subjects with relatively short life expectancies otherwise,” the Dutch researchers concluded.

So cheer up. Your life – or at least the length of it – may depend on it.