Why Being An Optimist Is Good For Your Heart

(CNN) — Looking on the bright side could save your life. People who look at life from a positive perspective have a much stronger shot at avoiding death from any type of cardiovascular risk than pessimistic people, according to a new meta-analysis of nearly 300,000 people published Friday in the medical journal JAMA. “We observed that an optimist had about a 35% lower risk of major heart complications, such as a cardiac death, stroke or a heart attack, compared to the pessimists in each of these studies,” said cardiologist Dr. Alan Rozanski, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who is lead author of the study. Related: Want To Live Longer? Be An Optimist, Boston Researchers Say In fact, the more positive the person, the greater the protection from heart attacks, stroke and any cause of death, said Rozanski, who is also the chief academic officer for the department of cardiology at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s. “The more pessimistic (a person was), the worse the outcome,” he added. It’s not just your heart that’s protected by a positive outlook. Prior research has found a direct link between optimism and other positive health attributes, such as healthier diet and exercise behaviors, a stronger immune system and better lung function, among others. Traits of optimists Why would that be true? Optimists tend to have better health habits, Rozanski said. They’re more likely to exercise, have better d...
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