Do you see the glass half full?
If so, new evidence suggests that you are more likely to live a longer, fuller life than your more negative counterparts.
Published in the Jan. 21 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), the study examined the effect of positive emotions on our health and wellness.
According to the Washington Post, the study focused on 3,199 people age 60 and up, analyzing “their attitudes about how much they enjoyed life, any problems they had with basic daily functions such as dressing and bathing, and how mobile they were.”
The Post goes on to summarize the findings:
“About 4 percent of those most upbeat about life developed two or more new functional impairments, compared with 17 percent of those who enjoyed life the least. During this time, people assessed as enjoying life at a medium or low level were about 80 percent more likely than their happier counterparts to have developed mobility and functional problems.”
So there you have it. While the researchers admit that a causal relationship is difficult to confirm, we suggest you take an optimistic approach to the study, as well as to your own life. Your body may reward you for it!
You can read the abstract and full text of the study at the CMAJ website.
You can read the full summary of the study at the Washington Post website.