Find a therapist near you

City or Zip Code:

Powered by: Psychology Today

Advertisement

Mental Health Mental Health Basics

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life?

Optimists may have another reason to feel fortunate. In a new study from the Netherlands, researchers found that older men who are hopeful about the future are less likely to die from heart disease when compared to those who have a bleaker outlook.

The reasons for this, says Dr. Erik Giltay, who led the study, are not immediately clear. Optimists are healthier to begin with, and they tend to cope better with any troubles. They are also more likely to follow their doctor's advice should they ever get sick.

Still, when the Dutch team took all these factors into account, the thing that most stood out was feeling naturally upbeat about the future. Having a positive attitude is often its own best reward, but its impact on the heart was particularly dramatic.

"These effects seem to be comparable and in the range of lowering cholesterol, blood pressure or healthy diets," says Giltay, who is with the Delfland Institute of Mental Health in the Netherlands.

The results, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are among the latest to suggest that maintaining a cheerful outlook throughout life pays off in the end. Studies have linked positive attitudes to a range of health benefits, although there is some debate on what type of optimism matters most.

Giltay and his team investigated what is known as dispositional optimism, which is a general belief that there is much to look forward to in the future. The researchers asked 545 elderly men living in the picturesque town of Zutphen about their feelings on a series of statements: "I still expect much from life," for instance, or "my days seem to be passing by slowly."

The subjects, who took this survey every five years, ranked these statements on a three-point scale, based on how much they agreed with them. After 15 years, the consistent optimists cut their risk of dying from heart disease nearly in half when compared to the more pessimistic men.

Believing that bad events are not your fault, or at least temporary, is another way to blissfully go through life, says Giltay. To his team, however, the ability to maintain a positive outlook about the future is more fitting of a natural optimist.

Giltay says that the next step is to figure out why such optimism benefits the heart. It is possible that happiness stimulates a positive biological reaction, much like depression and stress triggers the opposite, but that "does not seem to be the whole answer," he adds.

Yet the findings do suggest a tempting and easy way to beat heart disease. By adopting a positive attitude, former curmudgeons might be able to improve their health, while making life more pleasant to those around them. Giltay is doubtful that this new attitude will come easy.

"We are not optimistic," he says. While some forms of psychotherapy may be suitable, he cautions, "It is well known that it takes lots of effort to induce small improvements."