http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3230715.html
Why you should be more optimistic
Having a positive attitude can actually have many health benefits, research now shows. Below are 7 of these benefits:
1) Healthier Heart - The evidence suggests that people who are happy and optimistic are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, like doing physical activity, eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep. It also shows an association between positivity and measurable biological factors, like lower blood pressure and healthier lipid profiles.
2) Better Cholesterol - A 2013 study, also from the Harvard School of Public Health, but this time published in The American Journal of Cardiology, found that middle-aged study participants who scored as optimistic on a test have higher levels of "good" cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and lower levels of triglycerides
3) Ability to handle stress - according to "positivity" researcher Barbara Fredrickson. Her research shows that people who find meaning in stressful experiences -- exhibiting a type of "silver lining" thinking -- are also more likely to recover from the psychological pain of a bad event. What's more, according to Fredrickson's research upbeat thoughts had a positive effect on physical recovery from an immediate stressor.
4) Better Immune System - Researchers tracked first-year law students through the ups and downs of their school year. They found that individual students had different levels of immune response based on how positively they were thinking about things. When a student displayed optimistic thinking, he also showed greater cell-mediated immunity -- a phenomenon in which immune cells cluster to respond to a perceived threat, in this case a harmless but provocative injection of a dead mumps virus. On the other hand, a gloomy outlook brought on by say, a missed internship or bad test score -- had an actual negative effect on the response of immune cells.
5) Lower Stroke Risk - In the largest study of the link between positive thinking and stroke risk, researchers observed 6,044 adults involved in the ongoing Health and Retirement Study who had not previously had a stroke, WebMD reported. Optimism was rated on a 16-point scale, and with every point increase in positivity, people exhibited a 9 percent lower likelihood of having a stroke, according to ABC News.
6) Regulate Emotions Better - In his studies of prisoners of war, U.S. Special Forces, earthquake victims and others surrounded by stress, Dr. Dennis Charney found that the people who bounced back more easily from trying and traumatic situations had a number of similar traits. At the top of the list? Having a positive attitude.
7) Live Longer - Since all of these health benefits come with being positive, it's safe to say that being optimistic can potentially cause you to have a longer life.