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Optimistic Outlook May Lower Women's Risk of Dying


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Old 07-12-2016, 23:24
droogiefret
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What do you make of this?

Women with an optimistic outlook on life may live longer, a new study finds.

Optimistic women in the study were less likely to die from five major causes of death over an eight-year period than women who were less optimistic, according to the study.

And although optimism has been linked in earlier studies to healthy behaviors such as eating a healthy diet and getting more exercise, the researchers noted that these behaviors only partially explained the link to a longer life. [7 Things That Will Make You Happy]

In other words, it's possible that optimism directly impacts our biological systems, Eric Kim, a research fellow in social behavioral sciences at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a co-lead author of the study, said in a statement.
link

At the everyday level I know we often talk about getting better more quickly with a positive attitude, but, mostly people don't actually believe, when pressed, that their mental attitude can actually affect their physical body ... only mental well being.

But here, we have scientists seriously considering that we can affect our physical body processes by the power of thought.

There is a 'get out clause' for materialists

A limitation of the study is the possibility that the findings reflect "reverse causation," or in other words, that women's underlying health conditions could influence how optimistic they are, the researchers wrote.
But, still, the fact that scientists are even entertaining the idea that we can avoid illness by the power of mental attitude is kind of awesome.

Don't you think?
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Old 08-12-2016, 00:03
Jeeooorghhhbbb
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I dunno. There are probably some good examples of when being optimistic might kill you. Such as;

"This chicken with a use by date of November 2015 will be fine to eat"

or

"There's a train coming down the track at 125mph. I know I'll be able to run across the track before it......"

or

"I don't care if I'm about to be attacked by two blokes with knives, I've got a yellow belt in jujitsu. I'll be able to take them down."

Generally though, I think people with a positive outlook on life tend to live healthier lifestyles. They probably care more about themselves than people who are a bit down on things. And this caring about oneself is all that is needed to prolong life.
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Old 08-12-2016, 00:13
coughthecat
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Seems reasonable.

Optimists are less likely to worry about things so I'd imagine they'll suffer less day-to-day stress, and stress isn't exactly good for you.
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Old 08-12-2016, 01:46
droogiefret
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Seems reasonable.

Optimists are less likely to worry about things so I'd imagine they'll suffer less day-to-day stress, and stress isn't exactly good for you.
Yes - one of the diseases was Stroke - which we tend to link with stress.
But the biggest correlation was with infection - which traditionally has no link with stress. It seems very novel if optimism helps women beat infection.
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Old 08-12-2016, 07:09
Dotheboyshall
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As the report itself says it could be the other way round, as it could be that people become pessimistic because they are ill not that they become ill because they are pessimistic
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Old 08-12-2016, 07:39
CravenHaven
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being optimistic that only looking left when you cross the road will be enough, could shorten ur life quite drasticklly, akshully.
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Old 08-12-2016, 08:25
droogiefret
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As the report itself says it could be the other way round, as it could be that people become pessimistic because they are ill not that they become ill because they are pessimistic
There may be something in that for sure .... but the article says

Indeed, previous research has suggested that optimism is associated with a number of aspects of a person's health, according to the study. For example, optimists are more likely to have healthier cholesterol levels and lower levels of inflammation.
So you'd have to assume that people were feeling pessimistic because of an illness they did not know they had. That's a pretty novel hypothesis too.
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Old 08-12-2016, 08:47
Dotheboyshall
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There may be something in that for sure .... but the article says



So you'd have to assume that people were feeling pessimistic because of an illness they did not know they had. That's a pretty novel hypothesis too.
You would have to assume that pessimism is a conscious decision for that to be valid.
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Old 08-12-2016, 09:36
droogiefret
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You would have to assume that pessimism is a conscious decision for that to be valid.
I was assuming the opposite. That an underlying illness, that you are not aware of, can somehow affect your biology in a way that makes you feel less optimistic.

But you raise an interesting point about the study ... can you choose to be optimistic or is it that you either are or not by nature?
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Old 08-12-2016, 10:13
blueblade
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In before "what about optimistic men?"

Also, surely the fact that individuals who are healthier and happier to begin with, and thus more likely to live longer, are going to more optimistic about life than their less healthy peers?
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Old 08-12-2016, 10:31
planets
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I was assuming the opposite. That an underlying illness, that you are not aware of, can somehow affect your biology in a way that makes you feel less optimistic.

But you raise an interesting point about the study ... can you choose to be optimistic or is it that you either are or not by nature?
Many illnesses effect your endochrine system and hormone balances which in turn effect mood. Many medications effect mood. I'm on one at the moment that makes me want to vomit constantly. After months of this your mood will be effected.

When i was preparing for a really serious surgery i made a conscious decision to be more optimistic and calm, i had had surgery where it all went horrifically wrong and i nearly died and this was to try and rectify the errors made previously. I had noticed in hospital that what i thought about effected my heart rate and blood pressure and when hooked up to monitors i could change the readings by changing my thought patterns.

I duly went into hospital for my operation optimistic, calm with years of meditation techniques at my beck and call. The operation still went horrifically wrong I had another 4 operations in a week to save my life and spent over 3 months in hospital and two further years trapped in bed with district nurses every day. Three years later i'm still totally effed and more and more physical issues like organ failure are occurring because of the errors made, nothing to do with my optimism.

WHilst i agree that controlling your thoughts can manifest in lower blood pressure and heart rate, controlling your mood or how you see the world either optimistically or pessimisticly can't effect:
1. the competency of your surgeon,
2. the hygiene of the hospital (where patients do well initially only to contract an infection or mrsa etc)
3. allergies to medication which cause serious complications,
4. symptoms being overlooked/ignored.

There are endless issues which have a major effect on the success or failure of an invasive procedure or indeed the progression of an illness, optimism alone won't heal you if it did Pfizer and Glazo Smith Kline would be bankrupt.
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Old 08-12-2016, 18:24
droogiefret
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Many illnesses effect your endochrine system and hormone balances which in turn effect mood. Many medications effect mood. I'm on one at the moment that makes me want to vomit constantly. After months of this your mood will be effected.

When i was preparing for a really serious surgery i made a conscious decision to be more optimistic and calm, i had had surgery where it all went horrifically wrong and i nearly died and this was to try and rectify the errors made previously. I had noticed in hospital that what i thought about effected my heart rate and blood pressure and when hooked up to monitors i could change the readings by changing my thought patterns.

I duly went into hospital for my operation optimistic, calm with years of meditation techniques at my beck and call. The operation still went horrifically wrong I had another 4 operations in a week to save my life and spent over 3 months in hospital and two further years trapped in bed with district nurses every day. Three years later i'm still totally effed and more and more physical issues like organ failure are occurring because of the errors made, nothing to do with my optimism.

WHilst i agree that controlling your thoughts can manifest in lower blood pressure and heart rate, controlling your mood or how you see the world either optimistically or pessimisticly can't effect:
1. the competency of your surgeon,
2. the hygiene of the hospital (where patients do well initially only to contract an infection or mrsa etc)
3. allergies to medication which cause serious complications,
4. symptoms being overlooked/ignored.

There are endless issues which have a major effect on the success or failure of an invasive procedure or indeed the progression of an illness, optimism alone won't heal you if it did Pfizer and Glazo Smith Kline would be bankrupt.
Sorry you've been through the mill .... interesting points that I wouldn't want to argue with directly. Thanks for taking the time to contribute.
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Old 08-12-2016, 18:46
belly button
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Yes - one of the diseases was Stroke - which we tend to link with stress.
But the biggest correlation was with infection - which traditionally has no link with stress. It seems very novel if optimism helps women beat infection.
Cortisol which is induced and elevated in stress has a direct link to inflammatory response evident in infection.

There's lots of info available on-line about immunity and cortisol levels.
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Old 08-12-2016, 23:33
droogiefret
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Cortisol which is induced and elevated in stress has a direct link to inflammatory response evident in infection.

There's lots of info available on-line about immunity and cortisol levels.
Interesting. I'm starting to wonder how the study measured 'Optimisim'
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