One of my grandmothers lived well past her 97th birthday. She also had a great outlook, despite several health issues later in life. Turns out, the two may be related.
Being optimistic can help people live longer, even at the age of 85 or 90, according to the results of a recent study.
Researchers at Hebrew University of Jerusalem examined data from the university’s Jerusalem Longitudinal Study, which followed 1,200 people born in 1920 or 1921. Among other factors, they looked at optimism. Optimism was measured through a score from the Scale of Subjective Wellbeing for Older Persons, which contains four questions about positive future expectations and three questions about positive experiences.
The team found a correlation between a positive outlook and a longer life and also found clear evidence that older adults aged 85 to 90 who had high optimism scores had a 20% higher rate of survival compared with those who were less optimistic. This percentage grew to 25% in the 90+ age bracket. Interestingly, the study also found that, generally speaking, the men were more optimistic than the women were.
“Optimism doesn’t have to be viewed as a trait we’re born with, but one that we can develop,” said Yoram Maaravi, M.D., one of the authors of the study, published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A. “It’s important to think of ways to increase optimism, because it’s more clear than ever that it can help people at all stages of their lives.”
So how can you increase your optimism (or help residents increase theirs)?
Laura Kubzansky, co-director of the Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has four recommendations:
- Look for opportunities.
- Focus on your strengths.
- Practice gratitude.
- Create a mental image of your best possible self.
Read more about her advice here, buoyed by the thought that learning how to be more optimistic can help lead to a longer life.
