Positive Psychology; Positive Thinking

This is the study, I've not read it thoroughly yet but I wonder how well they controlled for things like having both parents die young of heritable conditions giving people a less optimistic outlook.

Optimism is associated with exceptional longevity in 2 epidemiologic cohorts of men and women

Most research on exceptional longevity has investigated biomedical factors associated with survival, but recent work suggests nonbiological factors are also important. Thus, we tested whether higher optimism was associated with longer life span and greater likelihood of exceptional longevity. Data are from 2 cohorts, women from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and men from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study (NAS), with follow-up of 10 y (2004 to 2014) and 30 y (1986 to 2016), respectively. Optimism was assessed using the Life Orientation Test–Revised in NHS and the Revised Optimism–Pessimism Scale from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 in NAS. Exceptional longevity was defined as survival to age 85 or older. Primary analyses used accelerated failure time models to assess differences in life span associated with optimism; models adjusted for demographic confounders and health conditions, and subsequently considered the role of health behaviors. Further analyses used logistic regression to evaluate the likelihood of exceptional longevity. In both sexes, we found a dose-dependent association of higher optimism levels at baseline with increased longevity (P trend < 0.01). For example, adjusting for demographics and health conditions, women in the highest versus lowest optimism quartile had 14.9% (95% confidence interval, 11.9 to 18.0) longer life span. Findings were similar in men. Participants with highest versus lowest optimism levels had 1.5 (women) and 1.7 (men) greater odds of surviving to age 85; these relationships were maintained after adjusting for health behaviors. Given work indicating optimism is modifiable, these findings suggest optimism may provide a valuable target to test for strategies to promote longevity.

Full paper on sci-hub
https://sci-hub.tw/https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1900712116

 

I haven't read it because i havent the heart to.
But what's the betting they somehow forgot to recognise that people who feel healthy have secure jobs & a reasonable work life balance, can pay their bills etc & saved enough for retirement not to be choosing heating vs eating... tend to eat better, relax more & therefore suffer from less disease &.... shocker! therefore live longer.
It would be surprising if people with lives like that were not optimistic because their lives are basically going ok & therefore the logical thing is to expect the trend will continue.

Once again they put the cart before the horse. It's like saying people with ME who have lower mood have more severe symptoms - therefore it must be the low mood thats causing them...
err duh... it's the other way around!

What's the betting they makin the same mistake here?

My mother was the most optimistic person i ever met. She sadly died pretty young.

It's a load of codswallop iyam

 

If optimism can make you live longer, then I'll stop trying to be optimistic.

 

Presumably the defence will be that is "the silly season".

 

It's always silly season in BPS-land.

 

Obviously healthy people are happier and more optimistic. When did people completely stop caring about correlation is not causation? How would it even make sense for sick people to be happy when available help and support are completely inadequate and work culture treats anyone who can't work as a second-class citizen?

Rainfall doesn't cause clouds, you talentless hacks.

 

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen......
― George Orwell, 1984

 

Just sayin'
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pessimists-live-longer-than-optimists-525/

 

Oh, good! That college philosophy course is about to finally pay off!

 

Moved post
Don't know where to put this so will park it here.

An article that delivers an opinion contrary to the usual. A bit of a blow for the ubiquitous positive thinking your way through everything:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the...ou-through-the-pandemic-author-says-1.6355488

A few quotes:

 

I love Oliver Burkeman he book is very good & he used to have a column, i think in the Guardian that was excellent