Don’t Worry. Be Happy
By Dixie Darr
Cartoon: A kiosk selling tickets to a Rolling Stones concert displays a sign offering a 5% senior citizen discount.
Even Mick Jagger probably didn't think he'd still be prancing around on the concert stage performing for sold-out audiences at age 59. But he is. Although he may still be singing "What a drag it is getting older," I'm guessing he no longer believes it. Instead, he undoubtedly agrees with the Beatles that, "It's getting better all the time."
We would all do well to adopt that belief because we now know for sure that optimists live longer than pessimists. A recent study proves it. A 15-year study of nuns conducted by University of Kentucky professor David Snowdon suggests that maintaining a positive attitude keeps you healthier and prolongs life. "It's been known for years that pathological expressions of emotion like depression or hostility can lead to illness," he said. "Our theory is that negative emotional states such as anxiety, hatred and anger can have a cumulative effect on the body over time. Over decades and decades, people that turn these negative emotions on and off several times daily are hurting themselves and are more likely to fall victim to heart disease and stroke." He found that positive thinking nuns lived as much as 10 years longer than those with negative attitudes.
"It feels good to be happy and hopeful," he said. "It's an enjoyable state that produces very little stress, and the body thrives in those conditions."
If you think about it, you'll realize that this is good news even for those of you who insist on viewing aging as a horrible fate, because your negative attitude means you probably won't live that long anyway.
11:09:28 AM 
|
