According to a US study, optimism, or the capacity to think positively, is essential for women to live long lives.
The findings of the study, which looked at 160,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79, were compiled during a 26-year period.
The researchers separated the group into optimists and pessimists based on the participants’ rankings of their optimism.
The participants were followed up with in 2019—both those who were still alive and those who had already died away. They came to the conclusion that those who were more upbeat were more likely to enjoy “exceptional longevity,” with a chance of living into their 90s.
Surprisingly, the study’s conclusions remain true regardless of one’s educational background, economic situation, ethnicity, mental health, or ongoing medical issues.
Most of the time, people who think positively are able to manage stress effectively and can thus limit its physiologic effects, such as increased secretion of cortisol, commonly known as “the stress hormone,” which raises blood pressure and heart rate.
The study’s authors stated that they plan to further explore their findings in “less long-lived groups.”
