Nobody likes a sour-puss. It’s good when we reject negativity and embrace those positive elements of nature and humanity. Right? Are you with me?
A recent study, published this month in the American Journal of Cardiology, suggests that being an optimistic type of person is associated with a healthy lipid profile, which corresponds to a healthy heart. Kathryn Doyle sees the glass as half-full:
At least some of the connection between optimism and blood lipids in the new study appeared to result from the optimists’ tendency to have a healthy body weight and a “prudent” diet, according to the researchers.
“It is one additional piece of evidence suggesting that our psychological health and physical health are intertwined, and that viewing the world optimistically may have some tangible benefits for our health,” said lead author Julia Boehm, a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
So turn that frown upside-down! Don’t worry, be happy! Monte Morin is about to burst your bubble:
A German study suggests that people who are overly optimistic about their future actually faced greater risk of disability or death within 10 years than did those pessimists who expected their future to be worse.
In a study published in Psychology and Aging this month, Morin reasons that a glass left half-empty might be better:
Lang and colleagues hypothesized that people who were gloomy about their future may be more careful about their actions than people who anticipated a rosy future.
“Perceiving a dark future may foster positive evaluations of the actual self and may contribute to taking improved precautions,” authors wrote.
Surprisingly, respondents who enjoyed good health or income were associated with expecting a greater decline compared with those in poor health or who had low incomes.
Also, researchers said that higher income was related to a greater risk of disability.
Darn! I don’t like Mondays….