Can a Resilient Attitude Add Years to Your Life?
What if a positive outlook could do more than brighten your day and actually extend your life? Optimism isn’t just about being upbeat. It’s a way of facing life with hope and resilience. While science supports the link between optimism and longevity, the real power lies in how this outlook can shape everyday experiences and potentially add years to one’s life.
Research suggests that optimists don’t just feel better — they actually live longer. Studies show that optimistic people live 11%-15% longer than pessimists and have a strong chance of achieving exceptional longevity, which is considered beyond age 85.
“Optimism is a general outlook on life that most things will go well and good things will happen,” said Cindy Woolverton, PhD, an assistant professor in the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “Even when challenges come up, optimistic people might see these as a challenge they can work through rather than something that gets them stuck.”
Excerpted from UT Health Houston
