Could you lower your risk of death due to a disease or cancer right now? Could it really be as simple as changing one’s attitude and perspective on life?

According to new research presented at the American Psychosomatic Society’s annual meeting last week, you may be able to do just that.

In a study of 97,000 women, the researchers found that after 8 years, women who had a more optimistic attitude at the start of the study had a 14 percent lower risk of dying from any cause than their pessimistic counterparts. Since men were not studied, one cannot say whether these results also apply to men.

People who are optimistic tend to expect good things will happen to them, while those who were pessimistic tended to mistrust others.

While the study could not say that optimism directly causes a longer, healthier life, there was a significant correlation between the two. (Perhaps those who live a healthier lifestyle are naturally more relaxed and optimistic as a result of their lifestyle.)

But the association shows the importance of attitude and your mental health once again. So if you want a longer life, adopt a healthier, more optimistic attitude today.

Read the full article: Trust me — the glass is half full

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

Like this author?
Catch up on other posts by John M. Grohol, PsyD (or subscribe to their feed).

Comments

This post currently has 6 comments. You can read the comments or leave your own thoughts on our new comments page.

Trackbacks

How Smoking Increases The Risk Of Lung Cancer | Mesothelioma Information (4/9/2009)

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 9 Mar 2009
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.