Remember the words of that at old song, "Don’t Worry, Be Happy. A new study suggests not worrying can help you stay healthier too.
Research at Boston University School of Medicine involved a study of older men over a period of 14 years and looked at how optimism affects a person’s health. They found that staying positive leads to more emotional well-being and the more optimistic men in the study experienced fewer stressful situations and interpreted fewer events as being stressful to them personally.
The more optimistic men reported fewer instances of being in a bad mood and had fewer stressors.
And with stress known to be a factor in a person’s physical health, causing increased inflammation and diseases like dementia, the study suggests that being more optimistic leads to less worry and in turn, better health as you age.
Recent times, with a deadly pandemic, nasty politics and a worrisome war, may make it harder to be more optimistic. But this new research may give us all more reason to try anyway and motivate us to worry less and reduce our stress.
(Photo c.e. albert)
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