Optimistic women live longer
 If your proverbial glass is always half-empty, you have a serious cause for worry. University of Pittsburgh researchers reported that they found a strong corelation between optimism and a person's risk for early death. In the beginning of the study, which started in 1994, 100,000 women ages 50 and over were asked questions about their attitude to life. Pessimistic participants agreed with statements such as: "I've often had to take orders from someone who didn't know as much as I did" and "In certain times, I expect the worst".
Research showed that optimistic women were 30 per cent less likely to die from heart disease. Cynical and unhappy women have 23 per cent greater risk of dying from cancer.
Researchers are not sure what caused the results. Dr. Hilary Tindle, the lead author of the study, suggests that optimistic people have more friends and their lifestyle is more healthy. "Optimists are less likely to smoke, they are more likely to be active and they are more likely to have a lower BMI (body mass index)", - she said.
Thanks to this research we have another good reason to be joyful and not to make a mountain out of a molehill.
20th April 2009
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