Mental Health & Longevity

Here’s Why Optimists Live Longer and Happier than Pessimists.

The impact of optimism on exceptional longevity

Introduction

As a realistic optimist, I tend to view the glass as half full. However, in writing this article on this topic, I strive to maintain objectivity by relying on scientific research to support my points rather than allowing my own biases to color my perspectives.

From my experience, an optimistic lifestyle brought me many benefits for my health, relationships, and business growth.

I also observed the same benefits in many other people, such as centenarian friends. Research on human mortality laws and studies on predictors of exceptional human longevity also support my perspectives.

Research in multidisciplinary investigations depicts many health, fitness, lifestyle, and professional benefits of optimism and hope.

The most interesting health finding is the association of optimism with a reduced risk of cardiovascular conditions. There is evidence of a cross-sectional association between optimism and cardiovascular health.

My focus in this article is exceptional longevity which refers to people living over 85 and reaching centenarian ages over 100 years old. Study results, such as this one, “strongly suggest that the maximum lifespan of humans is fixed and subject to natural constraints.”

However, the good news, as pointed out in this paper, “recently, multiple factors have been identified, including genetics, the introduction of antibiotics, vaccines, and public health, effective management of cardiovascular risk factors, advances in surgery, eliminating or modifying high-risk behaviors, family and social supports, eliminating wars and poverty, luck, exercise and nutrition, and psychological factors such as optimism and conscientiousness. To increase a maximum life span now estimated to be 115–120 years.”

Numerous factors affect exceptional longevity, according to studies using biodemography. Several studies depicted the importance of biomedical factors. However, recent studies show that various psychological resources affect survival and longevity.

In this post, I only focus on optimism which is a psychological resource. My aim is to answer whether optimists live longer than pessimists by providing evidence from psychological studies and biodemographic research. Let me start by answering a simple and common question.

Do Optimists Live Longer than Pessimists?

The short answer is yes.

Let me briefly present what science says about the associations without going into too much detail, just providing glimpses from the biodemography of exceptional longevity from several papers I reviewed.

In ancient times humanity intuitively knew the adverse effects of negative emotions on health. Since the 1970s, science has shown that negative emotions have played an essential role in the etiology of physical disease. We also know that those who possess emotional maturity and health are aware of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

“Dispositional optimism” is a common term frequently used in the medical literature. It means that the future depicts positive outcomes instead of negative ones. Dispositional optimism is widely researched within the biological functions context.

As pointed out in this study, “mounting evidence suggests that higher optimism is associated with reduced risk of age-related morbidities and premature mortality. However, possible biological mechanisms underlying these associations remain understudied.”

A Condensed Literature Review on Optimism

1 — According to this study in 2019, optimism was associated with exceptional longevity in two epidemiologic cohorts of men and women. The study tested whether higher optimism was associated with a longer life span and greater likelihood of exceptional longevity. By adjusting for demographics and health conditions, women in the highest versus lowest optimism quartile had a 14.9% longer life span. Findings were similar in men.

2 — A study in The Journals of Gerontology, titled Optimism and Longevity Beyond Age 85, examined the hypothesis that being optimistic at ages 85 and 90 is associated with improved survival. The research findings supported the hypothesis that being optimistic continues to confer a survival benefit irrespective of advancing age.

3 — Another study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine titled Optimism in Healthy Aging of Women tested whether higher optimism was associated with an increased likelihood of healthy aging. The research concluded that higher optimism was associated with an increased likelihood of healthy aging. The study suggested that optimism, a potentially modifiable health asset, merits further investigation for its potential to improve health in aging.

4 — This paper in the American Journal of Epidemiology points out that growing evidence has linked positive psychological attributes like optimism to a lower risk of poor health outcomes, especially cardiovascular disease. It has been demonstrated in randomized trials that optimism can be learned. The study pointed out that as pessimism was associated with numerous causes of mortality, it may provide a valuable target for new research on strategies to improve health.

5 — This 2020 paper published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine titled Optimism and Cardiovascular Health included 3188 Black and White men and women from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study. In models adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, optimism was associated with better cardiovascular health across all time points. Thus, the conclusion was optimism may contribute to establishing future patterns of cardiovascular health in adulthood.

6 — Using a familial approach, this study investigated the relationship between parental longevity and offspring’s dispositional optimism among community-dwelling older subjects. The study pointed out that dispositional optimism and other positive personality traits have been associated with longevity. The paper concluded that parental longevity was positively associated with optimism in adult offspring, suggesting a partially linked heritability of longevity and optimism.

Conclusions

To keep my neutrality on optimism, I shared evidence on the benefits of dispositional optimism in exceptional longevity.

The findings in these selected studies and many other research papers indicate a strong correlation between optimism and healthier life, leading to a longer life span, particularly reducing cardiovascular risks.

Research in multidisciplinary studies also portrays health, fitness, lifestyle, and professional benefits of psychological effects, particularly optimism, hope, and conscientiousness.

Even though I believe the maximum lifespan of humans is fixed and subject to natural constraints, I also think that we can increase the life span, as estimated to be around 120 years.

While we can increase the lifespan by eliminating high-risk behaviors, wars, accidents, poverty, chronic stress, chronic inflammation, and amygdala hijacks and by improving lifestyle conditions such as exercise, nutrition, sleep quality, laughter, dance, fasting, and heat therapy, we can also leverage psychological factors such as optimism, hope, and positive outlook.

I believe psychological and biodemographic studies will shed further light on the importance of optimism in longevity soon. Therefore, I choose to remain optimistic and hopeful to see the results.

Thank you for reading my research, observations, and perspectives on optimism. I wish you a happy and long life.

If you are a new reader and find this article valuable, you might check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting on my reviews, observations, and decades of sensible experiments.

Sample Health Improvement Articles for New Readers

I write about various hormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, adrenaline, glutamate, and histamine.

One of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.

To raise awareness about health issues, I have written several articles that present my holistic health findings from research, personal observations, and unique experiences. Below are links to these articles for easy access.

Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, and Major Diseases.

I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:

Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients to improve metabolism and mental health.

Disclaimer: Please note that my posts do not include professional or health advice. I document my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.

I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on metabolic, cellular, mitochondrial, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.

If you enjoy writing and storytelling, you can join Medium, NewsBreak, and Vocal as a creator to find your voice, reach out to a broad audience, and monetize your content.

You may also check my blog posts about my articles and articles of other writers contributing to my publications on Medium. I share them on my website digitalmehmet.com. Here is my professional bio. You can contact me via weblink.

As a writer, blogger, content developer, and reader, you might join Medium, Vocal Media, NewsBreak, Medium Writing Superstars, Writing Paychecks, WordPress, and Thinkers360 with my referral links. These affiliate links will not cost you extra to join the services.

You might join my six publications on Medium as a writer by sending a request via this link. 18K+ writers contribute to my publications. You might find more information about my professional background.

If you enjoy reading, you may join Medium with my referral link for limitless access to my stories and other writers.