Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh reported yesterday that optimists, people who tend to look at the bright side of things, live longer healthier lives than their pessimistic counterparts. While this is good news for those with sunny dispositions, on the flip side, pessimists have just found another reason to be negative.

The study examined data from the more than 100,000 participants aged 50 and older enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative that began in 1994. As part of this large initiative, women were asked to fill out a questionnaire measuring their tendency toward optimism or pessimism, which included questions such as: "In uncertain times, I expect the worst." Eight years into the study, optimistic women were 14% more likely to be alive than pessimistic women and they were 30 percent less likely to die from heart disease, the leading cause of death for women (and men) in America. The optimists were also less likely to suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, or to smoke cigarettes.

A subset of women rated as being highly mistrustful of other people (called the "cynically hostile" group by the researchers) were 16 percent more likely to die from any cause and 23 percent more likely to die from cancer, than women who were more trusting.

While previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between optimism and longevity, most of them have been small studies involving only men. The present study not only examined data from thousands of female participants, it also went to great lengths to control for other factors that might explain the results such as physical activity levels, smoking, and blood pressure. Thus, the relationship between optimism and living longer found in the study is independent of these factors.

So how could optimism be responsible for extending life? That is unclear but the researchers propose that it may have to do with stress management capabilities. Optimistic people tend to have more friends and a larger social network to help them deal with crises, and they may also be better able to cope with stress on their own. Difficulty dealing with stress is a risk factor that has been associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, and early death in previous studies. Optimists may actually have a different physiological response to stress that reduces its toll on the body.

However, the researchers also point out that while the present study demonstrates a relationship between optimism and longevity, it does not prove that optimism actually causes extended life. More research needs to be done to better understand the relationship between the two factors. For the optimists among us, the cup appears half full already.

For more information about managing stress in uncertain times, see the Healia Health Guide to Stress Management or share your thoughts in the Healia Health Community for Stress Management.

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