Welcome to the Good Life Chronicles, where living a good life takes center stage.
We all know the basics of good health: don’t smoke, move more, and eat less red meat. All of these are sound and scientifically supported and I wouldn't want you to limit your efforts in these areas. But there’s one piece of health advice that rarely makes the headlines and yet it is just as important.
Ready?
Be optimistic.
Yup.
Growing research shows that positive emotional experiences, life satisfaction and specifically, optimism, don't just make life more pleasant, they’re linked to longevity and heart health. In fact, of all of the areas capturing the overlap between physical and emotional health, optimism and cardiovascular health is the strongest. And it's not hard to see why.
Optimistic people are 13% to 35% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease. Women at age 50 live, on average, six years longer if they’re optimistic; for men, it’s closer to eleven.
It’s not just that optimistic people take better care of themselves (though they do, not smoking, eating better, and moving more). Optimism also shapes how our bodies function. Positive emotions help regulate the stress response, lower inflammation, improve immune function, and protect against the “cardiotoxic” effects of stress. In contrast, long-term anger, anxiety, hostility, and depression are consistently linked to a higher risk of heart disease.
In other words, happiness is a health behavior, one that deserves the same respect we give to diet, exercise, and sleep. Yet it’s rarely prescribed, taught, or practiced as such.
The good news? Optimism isn’t something you’re either born with or not, it’s a skill that can be learned and strengthened over time. Techniques from positive psychology, which you well know by now, such as gratitude journaling, identifying personal strengths, reframing negative thoughts, and savoring daily experiences, have been shown to build sustained optimism and reduce depressive symptoms.
If you're here, you do not need convincing. But we do need to shift the conversation to helping everyone take happiness seriously, not as a wimpy add-on to life, but a component of living longer and better. We can no longer afford to separate emotional wellbeing from physical health; the evidence is too strong.
So, as you think about your health goals this year, especially for those of us moving into their 50s (ahem, me anyways!), add another to the list: optimism. It may not come in a pill or a smoothie, but its effects outlast both.
This week, notice one small thing that gives you hope about the future, or something you look forward to, no matter how small. Write it down. Think about it, what do you look forward to the most? How might it positively change your life? Like our muscles, optimism can be strengthened through practise and repeated use.
What’s one thought that helps you feel optimistic and how might your health benefit with more practice?
Share it in the comments here or below depending on your platform. Remember to sign in to leave a comment.
While you’re here!
If you like the idea of happiness and feel someone in your life should too, pass along this newsletter. They can sign up here.
If you want to be part of a growing community of people also choosing happiness, follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Finally, if you’d like to improve your physical as much as mental fitness, consider learn an entire set of skills designed to generate more positive emotional experiences, as well as decrease the effects of negative ones. Sign up to my course here, where I share scientifically tested strategies to help you build a better life. You can also “gift” the course to others.
Have a great week and fill it well!
Dr. Louise Lambert
Responses