How optimism affects life expectancy: research by scientists

Do you think that life is beautiful, and do you think that it will always be so? A new study suggests that optimistic people are more likely to live to adulthood than pessimists.

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The study showed that optimistic people tend to live longer than people with a less rosy outlook on the world.

This conclusion was reached by studies involving more than 69 000 medical workers aged 58 to 86 years and more than 1400 male veterans aged 41 to 90 years, followed by 10-30 years. At the beginning of the study, participants (all of them were from the USA) answered a number of questions by which the researchers evaluated how optimistic they were. These were questions in the style of: “Do you expect that, in general, more good than bad will happen to you?” Etc.

The study showed that participants who reported the highest levels of optimism were 50-70 percent more likely to live to 85 years or older than those who reported the lowest levels of optimism.

Moreover, the most optimistic people had an average life expectancy of 11-15% more than others.

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The results did not change even after the researchers took into account factors that could affect life expectancy, including the presence of participants with heart disease, cancer or depression.

The results complement a growing body of evidence that certain psychological factors can provide a longer life. For example, previous studies have shown that optimistic people have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases and a lower risk of early death. But the new study is the first to directly link optimism with longevity.

Researchers note that the relationship found in the new study was not as strong when they took into account certain health behaviors, including smoking habits, alcohol consumption, levels of physical activity and diet. According to scientists, optimistic people recover faster after sudden stresses and experience less extreme emotional reactions to stressful situations.

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However, the study found only a connection, and cannot confidently prove that optimism leads to an increase in life expectancy. The authors noted that the study mainly involved people with high socio-economic status, and therefore it is unclear how well the results are applicable to other groups of the population.

But if the results are correct, they suggest that optimism can serve as a psychological attribute that promotes health and longevity.

Activities such as written exercises, meditation, and some types of conversational therapy can increase people's optimism.

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