Provocative Thought

Stay Positive

You’ve heard the cliché: Every cloud has a silver lining. Did you know that having a sunny attitude – even in dark, cloudy times – can truly keep you healthy? Consider this optimistic intel we found in Harvard Health Publications.

• Being optimistic can help you cope with disease. In a recent long-term study of more than 3,000 healthy adults, the cheeriest people were found to have lower levels of stress, a lower risk of high blood pressure, fewer stroke-causing blood clots, and a vastly improved immune function – when compared to people with a gloomy outlook on life. A separate study found that optimists suffer fewer viral infections, and are half as likely to develop deadly heart disease – compared to pessimists.
• A bit of optimism can also help you recover from surgery. In a study of more than 300 middle-aged patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery, optimists were half as likely to require a follow-up procedure, compared to Negative Nellies. In fact, in a separate study of angioplasty patients, pessimists were three times more likely to suffer a heart-attack within six months of their surgery, compared to optimists.
• Another reason to keep your chin up: It’ll give you peace of mind. In a new 30-year study, optimism was linked to fewer aches and pains, more energy and vitality, stronger overall health, and fewer emotional problems. Also, elderly people who kept a positive outlook on life were far more likely to maintain an independent lifestyle – while their less-cheery peers were more likely to wind up in a nursing home.
• Finally, staying positive will help you live longer! At least four international studies found a direct link between the amount of optimism a person feels, and how long they live. One study concluded that the most negative people die 42% faster than the most positive ones. Among 1,000 people who took a psychologist’s “optimism-pessimism test” in the early 1960s, researchers found for every 10-point increase in optimism, the death rate dropped 19%.

In other words: Having a heart full of joy really can banish the bad things in life.