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Science

Optimists Live Longer, Says Study (theguardian.com) 81

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
People who have a rosy outlook on the world may live healthier, longer lives because they have fewer stressful events to cope with, new research suggests. From a report: Scientists found that while optimists reacted to, and recovered from, stressful situations in much the same way as pessimists, the optimists fared better emotionally because they had fewer stressful events in their daily lives. How optimists minimise their dose of stress is unclear, but the researchers believe they either avoid arguments, lost keys, traffic jams and other irritations, or simply fail to perceive them as stressful in the first place. Previous studies have found evidence that optimists live longer and healthier lives, but researchers do not fully understand why having a glass-half-full attitude might contribute to healthy ageing. "Given prior work linking optimism to longevity, healthy ageing, and lower risks of major diseases, it seemed like a logical next step to study whether optimism might protect against the effects of stress among older adults," said Dr Lewina Lee, a clinical psychologist at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University.
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Optimists Live Longer, Says Study More

Optimists Live Longer, Says Study

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    • An optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds, a pessimist worries that might be the case.

      • Re:Murphy was an optimist (Score:4)

        by jwhyche ( 6192 ) on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @09:56AM (#62336239) Homepage

        I am an optimist. I'm positive something will go wrong.

        • This is great news for people who like to fix things.

        • An optimist is a pessimist who has learned to avoid bad situations. You're actually not far off from what the researchers think causes the lower stress levels experienced by optimists (the proximate cause for their supposedly longer lives):

          How optimists minimise their dose of stress is unclear, but the researchers believe they either avoid arguments, lost keys, traffic jams and other irritations, or simply fail to perceive them as stressful in the first place.

  • So the placebo effect. I’m optimistic we can figure out why it works so there won’t be a need to be optimistic anymore.

  • Survivorship bias. (Score:4, Funny)

    by mjwx ( 966435 ) on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @09:26AM (#62336157)
    Of course optimists think they live longer... The rest were simply correct about the right time to die.

  • Given the average comment on this site... (Score:3)

    by Merk42 ( 1906718 ) on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @09:29AM (#62336163)
    Everyone on Slashdot will die young

    • Developers and system architects & admins tend to be sad because we think about all the things that can go wrong as part of our job, and/or natural habit that made us attracted to such jobs. Anticipation is necessary to design decent systems. Optimists design shitty systems. Optimists may live long, but they shorten the lives of those around them.

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

        • An optimist will think their code is right and release it, a pessimist will triple check it because the think its probably wrong. However stressing to much about design of a system can lead to paralysis and not getting anything done, to me you need a balance of both.

          The pessimist gets depressed over it, blames someone else for it or keeps seeing any new arising problem as the end of the world.

          You are clearly not a pessimist. As a pessimist when something goes wrong I blame myself, since that is the worst possible outcome for me. If I defect blame on someone else I will clearly get caught in the lie.

          For me a bug is never the end of th

  • It does seem that idiot do last longer for what ever reasons.

    • It does seem that idiot do last longer for what ever reasons.

      True, but once you accept stupidity as the cause of most actions and don't try to understand why or fix it, life is a lot better.

    • Fuck yeah! I mean, we just have to look at Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, Philip J. Fry, Stan Smith and Sterling Archer for proof.

      • The first 3 yes, I dont know about the 4th, but Archer is a smart person. Shown off again and again by his skills and general knowledge.
        He is just a shit heel of a human being.

        • But there's also multiple instances where he's just impossibly lucky, which is the main reason he's still alive. He even said so himself in at least one episode.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Tablizer ( 95088 )

        Reminds of the episode where Homer won a boxing match by simply outlasting his opponent because he had no brain to knock out.

    • A pessimist doesn't die early because of pessimism. They get labeled "pessimist" because they know they are going to die early.

      And they are right, as this study shows.

  • I assume that this has been considered and factored in in some way, given that team science knows about, and dislikes, confounding variables; but does anyone know how, for the purposes of studies of this kind, they tease apart 'optimists' (in the sense of people psychologically predisposed to positive outlooks/interpretations of events) from 'optimists' (in the sense of people who have relatively positive outlooks because events have been relatively positive toward them) and, on the other side, 'pessimists'

    • I assume that this has been considered and factored in in some way, given that team science knows about, and dislikes, confounding variables; but does anyone know how, for the purposes of studies of this kind, they tease apart 'optimists' (in the sense of people psychologically predisposed to positive outlooks/interpretations of events) from 'optimists' (in the sense of people who have relatively positive outlooks because events have been relatively positive toward them) and, on the other side, 'pessimists' of the sort who are congenitally unhappy more or less regardless of circumstance from 'pessimists' who have managed to draw more short straws than average and have a psychologically neutral negative assessment of negative circumstances.

      I'm pretty optimistic they did...

    • This is kind of similar to my questions on this. Are we talking "pure" optimists as in people who thing everything will always work out, or maybe more "practical" optimists who trust things will work out, but put in the effort to ensure this. I kind of see the first as the type who never visit a doctor because everything will be fine, then die of some preventable disease. While the second type could be full blown hypochondriac, but don't worry about it, they just let the doctor worry about it so to speak

    • I am not so sure that life events change peoples' levels of optimism long-term although it would be interesting to look into. The article says, "Levels of optimism or pessimism tend to be fairly stable across people's lives, but Lee believes there are ways to foster a more rosy outlook for those who want to." For all the emphasis we put on good or bad things that happen to people or are done to them, they don't have much effect on individual long-term happiness and it would be surprising if optimism were
      • No doubt that I'm alive at 96, with a perceptive outlook clearly confirming that this planet is shortly to rid itself of the dumbest most vicious form of life ever evolved with its main interest to make the climate totally deadly and with nuclear weapons at the ready to to finish off whatever is left of all the horrid major forms. My optimism is fully justified because whatever microscopic living specks are left still have a few billions of years left to evolve more congenial life forms.

    • ...does anyone know how, for the purposes of studies of this kind, they tease apart 'optimists' (in the sense of people psychologically predisposed to positive outlooks/interpretations of events) from 'optimists' (in the sense of people who have relatively positive outlooks because events have been relatively positive toward them) and, on the other side, 'pessimists' of the sort who are congenitally unhappy more or less regardless of circumstance from 'pessimists' who have managed to draw more short straws than average and have a psychologically neutral negative assessment of negative circumstances.

      Optimism can be broadly associated with "Neuroticism" from the Big 5 [wikipedia.org] personality model. It's normally distributed, and is "Nature's guess" for how dangerous your environment will be.

      A paradigm example is receiving an E-mail late Friday afternoon from your boss saying he wants to see you first thing on Monday morning. Someone high in neuroticism would fret all weekend and maybe work on their resume, someone low in neuroticism would think "I'll wait to see what he wants".

      The big 5 traits are stable throughout

  • But it had to be several million dollars, because then people who also managed the money well never had the big stresses in life, again. They never had to worry about a place to sleep, food to eat, medical bills, etc. I'd say living longer has more to do with economics as economics can also affect your optimism. I doubt there are a great deal of optimists living on the street. But for average folks who make it through daily life fine, I think optimism is probably a good thing.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Kokuyo ( 549451 )

      I doubt this very much.

      Money can make you immune to several things that kill your happiness.

      But money only gains happiness when you spend it in a way that makes you feel like you contribute something to the world. That's when money leads to serotonin.

      Just "having fun"with money does not equate happiness. It brings dopamine and that is nothing but a drug.

      • Doubt all you want. Two studies found it was true.

        https://www.forbes.com/sites/a... [forbes.com]

        • Well sure, if you were given a few million and proper financial advice, you could very likely have all your needs met and could do whatever you wanted with your now spare time.

          That would bring a lot of happiness to know I could go try stuff out for the heck of it, knowing all my needs are handled and will be regardless of future outcomes.

          A few million dollars could do that and allow you to live a modest life of comfort. I'm sure the spare time you could make some meaningful contributions to the world or at

  • Maybe I just have a poor definition of optimism but I feel like I am generally optimistic about the final outcomes of what I work on, yet at the same time I am dyslexic and constant stress about checking and rechecking things I do for dyslexic mistakes (with varying effectiveness). So I have a fair bit of stress in my life, but am I optimistic or pessimistic?

    • So I have a fair bit of stress in my life, but am I optimistic or pessimistic?

      Dude, you just answered your own question: you are dyslexic.

      • So I have a fair bit of stress in my life, but am I optimistic or pessimistic?

        Dude, you just answered your own question: you are dyslexic.

        Good catch, I think that whole post was a typo ;)

    • Stress is generally something you can't resolve at that very moment (don't know how to, a lack of preparation, a true surprise, or out of your control/influence).

      For you, stress would be wondering if you did your checks and not being able to verify (after submission). Or knowing you forgot.

      Knowing we have to do something due to our physical conditions is not stressful. It's just life and others have differing requirements (and some things we all share, like needing to eat).

      Be careful what you care about,

  • There is also evidence that pessimism can save your life, which does not seem to be taken into account in the study. Particularly in times of pandemic ...

  • Sure, ignorance can be blissful. It's rather easy to be stupidly unaware to make your life less stressful. Doesn't mean a lack of care pans out all that well for those living the #NoFucks life. I noticed no one is paying a YOLO expert to come speak at a conference.

    And the world isn't that cheerful when it's Death, Destruction, and Despair on the news menu again. For the 10th year in a row.

    • Don't be so sad, guy! After all, it isn't the 10th year in a row that we've had death, destruction and despair on the news! It's the 42th year!

      • Don't be so sad, guy! After all, it isn't the 10th year in a row that we've had death, destruction and despair on the news! It's the 42th year!

        Fair point, but like it matters. Blinded optimists refuse to acknowledge the difference between a pessimist and a realist anyway.

  • Morons who are oblivious to what is happening around them have less stressful lives.

  • Those optimists are always looking for sympathy.

  • Optimists think they live longer

  • They should thank the pessimists (Score:3)

    by RobinH ( 124750 ) on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @10:38AM (#62336341) Homepage

    The optimists can afford to be optimists because the pessimists around them take care of worrying about all the details for them. Around our house, every time something goes wrong my spouse (the optimist) is shocked... "but what are we going to do?!? The power's out in the middle of February, it's getting cold in the house, and the power company says it might not be on until tomorrow!"

    "Honey, relax, I've planned for this. Remember, I have a small backup generator, and I installed a little mini transfer switch so I can run just the furnace off the generator, so we'll have heat. I just tested the generator in the fall and changed the oil so it should be in working order. I have several gallons of gas I refilled in the fall and it has gasoline stabilizer in it. If the generator doesn't work, I still have that little inverter generator so and so gave me, or I could borrow that other one from my parents, and in a worst case scenario we can just turn the water off and drain the water system and go stay with friends or relatives. I've considered all this. No need to worry."

    Yeah, "no need to worry" because the rest of us worry all the time and plan for this crap. Nice to know we're rewarded for it with a shorter lifespan. :)

    • Maybe, dial back the pessimism .. and the optimist will pessimize to compensate :)

      You'll find too many backup plans generate their own complications and need backups of their own, generating more pessimism. One good backup plan is enough.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by RobinH ( 124750 )
        I don't think it's ever a good idea to pessimize out loud in front of an optimist. This is well documented actually. It just causes them a whole bunch of stress and makes it difficult for the two of you to work together. If you need to make plans to deal with your own anxiety, just do it quietly and privately.
  • Lose you keys--before going to your parent's funeral?
  • Example of pessimism:

    "I don't know, the article seems too optimistic to me."

  • "That's their punishment", say pessimists.

  • ...say optimists.

  • Optimists shouldn't even exist from an evolutionary perspective. Who survived the following, historically-accurate scenario: hunting party out hunting, pessimist guy says, "Shit guys, was that a sabre-toothed tiger? Maybe we should hang back here for a while." Meanwhile, optimist guy's all, "You're so negative, it'll all be fine, let's just press on."? The reason optimists still exist is that we pessimists carry all their stress too. You're welcome. Everything is shit.

  • The world is terrible!

  • Sounds like the optimists and pessimists were both right.

  • Seems to conflate cause and effect. People who have easy/low stress lives are more likely to be optimistic, and, duh, live longer because they have easy/low stress lives.

  • The pessimist is rarely disappointed.

    Also: The true way to live longer is to have more birthdays.

  • I keep seeing people claiming that optimists are delusional, oblivious and even stupid. For some optimists, yes, those terms certainly apply, but optimism, on the whole, is not about ignoring reality. I'll use this example from a seminar I was in many, many, years ago.

    The seminar was run by a guy who runs a "survival" company out west. He also had a show on tv around that same time. Josh I think was his name. By survival I don't mean surving a nuclear war but rather, they offer 1, 3 and week long excurs

  • How did they identify optimists? Did they self-report that they are optimists? Was there some sort of revealed preference. [wikipedia.org] I problem with psychological research is a person's perception of themselves is different from how others perceive them.

  • Seriously, most optimists don't tend to stress out at stuff.

    So they get more sleep.

    And they don't generate harmful stress toxins.

    So, just mellow out.

  • Optimist: "The glass is half-full."
    Pessimist: "The glass is half-empty."
    Engineer: "The glass is twice as big as it needs to be."

  • I’m a pessimist, that way I’m either right, or pleasantly surprised.
    Someone once asked me “Why do you have to be an optimist or a pessimist? Why can’t you just be a realist?” I told him “A realist is just a pessimist who knows they are wrong half the time.”
    An optimist says the glass is half full. A pessimist says the glass is half empty. A realist knows its 2022 and the glass is filled with piss.

  • But everybody hates them.

  • The pessimist sees the glass as half empty.

    The optimist thinks more is coming.

  • It means that in a universe too vast and complex to comprehend, we have enormous discretion to focus on how much we think about improving the good vs. minimizing the bad. Which means in turn that a pessimist is not a realist, but simply someone who compulsively focuses on negatives.

    It's impossible to overstate the advantages of chasing positives against running from negatives. One connects to you an infinite universe where options multiply as they are chosen; the other is a costly purchase from an imag

  • Balderdash! I've been a pessimist most of my life, and I'm over 70.

  • What about people who see the glass as containing 50% air and 50% water? What about those with a more objective, analytical outlook? I don't think it's all going to work out fine. I don't think we're doomed. I just think some predictions are reasonable, and some aren't, but they're all just predictions and not certainties or inevitable outcomes. Sometimes that looks optimistic (there will probably be a baseball season and on opening day our team has a chance to win the series). Sometimes that looks pe

  • Sure, but who wants to live longer in this shitty world?
  • People experiencing stress and/or depression tend not to be optimists and neither is good for longevity.

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