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We've all answered the age-old question, is the glass half full or half empty? The question is supposed to differentiate between an optimist and a pessimist. A glass half full usually implies that a person has a more positive outlook on life. While these types of questions may not be definite; it is no surprise that individual attitudes influence how we respond to day-to-day situations. From Type A personalities, personalities that usually respond to stress more negatively and Type B personality, the more laid back personalities who handle stress better, now have concrete evidence to prove that optimism really may prove to be a better health benefit than most people would have considered.
A new study reveals that women over the age of fifty with a more optimistic attitude toward are less likely to suffer from heart disease and die from any other illness in a certain period of time compared to women their age with more pessimistic attitudes according to the American Heart Association.
Dr. Kirk Garratt, an associate director of the coronary care unit at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York comments, "people may not think of mood as a classic risk factor for heart disease, but depression and other psychological factors are known to affect survival after heart-related problems, such as a heart attack." The study also found that optimistic women could better cope with stressful situations by finding effective solutions and positive outlets. Lowering stress in any given situation helped to decrease the chances of high blood pressure and even depression.
The link between attitude and physiology is not a new one; pessimism has always been linked to high risk personalities. In other words, those who are less optimistic have more trouble coping with stress and often feel the need to find more negative outlets to deal with stressful situations. "In the grand scheme of things, the real importance is recognizing and raising awareness of the link between attitude and health," said lead author Dr. Hilary Tindle, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania.
The new study addresses the concern of both the psychology of illness as well as the actual physical ailment. If individuals begin modifying both their attitudes and their physical health condition, the results would greatly decrease the likelihood of major diseases and stress. While the study was geared at middle -aged women and men, it also extends its findings to adolescents and young adults. If certain outlooks are adopted at an earlier age, "the stress [younger individuals] feel can be dealt with in a more beneficial way that could help prevent illnesses later on," states Dr. Tindle.
While not all of us like to look on the brighter side, consider that it could possibly affect your health and that more and more research has pointed out that a better attitude leads to better health. Researchers made it clear that this by no means implies that one should depend purely on their attitude and not how they take care of themselves physically. The goal of these new findings is to encourage a more positive way to encounter stressful situations.
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