Optimism Linked to Healthier Life and Longevity

A team of researchers from the United States discovered that optimism promotes longevity and a healthier lifestyle.

A new study reveals that optimism is the key to a longer and healthier life in women. The study proves that women who have a more positive attitude towards like have fewer chances of developing life-threatening diseases such as cancer, lung disease, and heart diseases.

The study was funded by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and was conducted by Doctor Eric Kim and postdoctoral student Kaitlin Hagar. After reviewing the results of the Nurses’s Health Study survey, which involved over 70,000 women, the researchers discovered that there is a link between having a positive attitude and living a longer and healthier life.

However, as the authors pointed out, their study has some limitations. For instance, all the respondents were Caucasian females, which means that the study cannot for the rest of the population. Still, Hagar pointed out that there’s no reason why the health benefits of a positive attitude cannot apply to a larger segment of the population, regardless of race or sexual orientation.

According to this new study, women with a more positive attitude towards life have a decreased risk of inflammation and therefore have decreased chances of developing debilitating and life-threatening conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and lung disease.

In addition, the study reinforces the idea that there is indeed a biological component at work in people who are optimistic by nature. They have theorized that such an attitude promotes good biomarker levels and optimizes the lipid levels.

Unfortunately, the study did not involve any male participants. However, as we pointed out before, there are no reasons why the other gender or races cannot benefit from optimism.

It would seem that the new study managed to confirm that old saying according to which optimism is the key to long life. So, forget about anti-aging treatments and rigid diets – if you want to live a healthy and long life, stop worrying about what’s today, and start thinking about tomorrow.

Having a positive attitude will not only help you deal with problems but will also shield you from life-threatening conditions. Such an attitude like “I know it’s not okay, but there’s a bright side to it”, can make all the difference in the world, and the new study seems to suggest the same thing.

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Tara Hamilton

Tara has graduated from the University of Oregon, with bachelors degree in Spanish Literature in 2010. She lived in Miami for one year and travelled extensively before settling down in El Paso.