New research suggests there are some real health benefits to looking on the brighter side of life.
QIMR Berghofer’s Genetic Epidemiology group in Queensland, Australia, has found pessimistic people typically die two years earlier than their more optimistic counterparts.
The study is based on a pessimism questionnaire of almost 3,000 participants aged over 50 between 1993 and 1995.
Researchers cross referenced these details with the Australian National Death Index in October 2017, to find out how many people had died – and the results were remarkable.
Not only did pessimists typically die two years earlier, they also had a greater disposition towards life-threatening diseases than their more optimistic counterparts.
“Understanding that our long term health can be influenced by whether we’re a cup-half-full or cup-half-empty kind of person might be the prompt we need to try to change the way we face the world, and try to reduce negativity, even in really difficult circumstances,” said Dr John Whitfield, the lead researcher on the study.
So next time you see a glass look at it as half full, rather than half empty.
At the end of the day, you can always refill it!
