Healthy Hearts See Glass Half Full

Studies show that individuals with a positive outlook on life tend to have effective coping skills, which help them make the best out of unfortunate and unexpected situations. This ability to see the ‘silver lining’ may be the key to protecting your heart in stressful situations.

Glass Half Empty

A study of patients with heart disease followed for six to 10 years found that those with pessimistic beliefs about their recovery were twice as likely to die during that timeframe as those who felt more optimistic.

Duke University Medical Center conducted psychological assessments on 2,825 patients hospitalized for heart disease.

During the study, patients were asked to describe their expectations about their ability to recover from their illness and regain a normal life. After follow up five to 10 years later, 978 of the patients died, with 66% dying of heart disease.

How To Be An Optimist

Personally, I have always strive to see the glass completely full. As I see it, it’s half full with wine and half full of air! But not everyone is that way.

With cherry blossoms blooming, baseball season starting, and the stock market hovering near 11,000, it’s impossible not to feel a little extra spring in your step. Heck, even our President is beaming with the passage of health reform and hints of job growth. So, perhaps this is as good a time as any to revel in optimism or, at least, nurture positive-thinking if you’re a glass-half-empty kind of person.

Need more convincing?

A recent study published in Psychological Science found that those with more optimistic attitudes had better-functioning immune systems which, in turn, helped them ward off illnesses. Yet far too many of us assume that optimism is an inborn trait bestowed on a lucky few. That’s a completely wrong assumption, says a top professor of psychology at University Of Nevada Las Vegas.

Can people learn to be optimists?

The answer is an indisputable YES,” says the professor.