To be or not to be, that is not the question. The question is "How optimistic are thee?"

Or in other words, "Do you live life thinking the glass is half empty or half full?"

1,000 older adults involved in a nine-year Arnhem Elderly study, led by Dr. Erik J. Giltay, of the Delfland Psychiatric Centre in the Netherlands, were questioned in 1991 on their health, self-respect, morale, optimism and relationships.

The participants, who were men and women between the ages of 65 and 85, were divided into four groups based of how optimistic they were.

Between 1991 and 2001, of the 466 men and 475 women involved in the study, 397 died. These deaths related directly to patients' self-reported pessimistic outlooks on life.

Dr. Giltay and his team found that those in the "most optimistic" group were much more likely to survive longer than those in the bottom category.

The authors of the Dutch study wrote in the November 2004 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry:

We found that the trait of optimism was an important long-term determinant of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in elderly subjects independent of sociodemographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors.

A predisposition toward optimism seemed to provide a survival benefit in elderly subjects with relatively short life expectancies otherwise.

The bottom line: Those who look on the bright side of life are more likely to live longer than pessimists.

Their statistics showed that: Death rates from all causes were 55% lower for those with a more optimistic outlook over pessimists. And the risks of dying from heart disease were 23% lower.

They also found that optimism was much more effective in preserving men's lives than it was for women. Women, who often live longer anway, reduced their risk of dying by a third.

The Dutch researchers who carried out the study said that the happiest men cut their risk of dying from any cause by almost two thirds, twice as much as women, over the follow-up period.

My father is a good case in point. After quintuple bypass surgery a year ago, he got back on the golf course as soon as the doctor would allow him. He gave up a two-week trip to Africa but traveled to Prague this fall for a week. And best of all, his interest in his grandchildren is at all time high. Despite the fact that his medication has had unpleasant side effects, his overriding optimistic attitude has helped give him a new lease on life. As a result, we're counting on him being around for at least thirty more years.

The Pessimists

Many times, people who are pessimistic often feel down-and-out because they are already ill. Their pessimism is a result rather than a cause of their illness.

Throughout Giltay's study, he and his team corrected for health status, and for other factors such as smoking, being overweight or inactive, or having high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels, without losing the correlation between optimism and lifespan.

Earlier studies have shown that being pessimistic increases the risk of dying.

Many studies have tied negative emotions, such as chronic depression and hopelessness, to the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or other conditions.

This study, however, is one of only a few that suggests that being cheerful has the opposite effect, the authors said.

The researchers said: "An optimistic person may be more likely to have habits that enhance health or a recovery process."

The effects on the immune and hormonal systems may also be a factor.

They suggested that these better coping strategies throughout life lead to a longer life.

For example, optimists are more likely to find ways of coping with problems by focusing on them, and are more likely to seek social support.

Being pessimistic could eventually lead to changes in behavior that increase the risks of cardiovascular disease, the team suggested.

Taking up smoking, getting fat, or allowing blood pressure to increase could all be implicated.

What links are there between optimisim and longer life?

Researchers say there are several factors that may explain the link between optimism and longer life.

For example:

Optimism is associated with more physical activity, moderate alcohol use in women, and less smoking.

Optimism is associated with better health in general. People in poor health tend to report more pessimism.

Optimists may cope with stress differently and more effectively than pessimists do.

An alternative explanation, the researchers admitted, is that the same genetic and immune system factors that lead to ill-health could also lead to a pessimistic outlook.

The only way to find out conclusively would be to do a random study in which older adults would be given psychological treatment to improve their optimism vs. others, who would be left to their own devices. Each group would be monitored to see which group lived longest.

The team acknowledged that such psychosocial intervention studies were difficult to perform and difficult to interpret.

But if they had a positive attitude about it, certainly they could over come the challenges associated with such a study.

On a related note, an optimistic attitude not only helps you live longer it makes you more successful suggests Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

In her recently published book, Confidence How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End, Moss Kanter said, "Confidence is the expectation of favorable outcomes."

(See Rugged Elegant Living story, "Confidence" Is The Key To Success Says Author Rosabeth Moss Kanter)

Inspire & Be Inspired (R).

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful and keeping your chin up living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King

Source: Giltay, E. Archives of General Psychiatry, November 2004; vol 61: pp 1126-1135.