People who are happy and retain a positive attitude also have a healthier heart-and that can be the difference between life and death for people who already have a heart condition.
Positive people are living longer after they’ve been diagnosed with a heart condition, say researchers who tracked the health and psychological outlook of more than a thousand patients with coronary heart disease.
They were more likely to be alive five years later than others who had a negative outlook or suffered from depression.
The positive outlook was also demonstrated in a range of healthy lifestyle choices, such as greater physical activity, better sleep, and not smoking, said researchers at Penn State University.
Although there’s been plenty of research that has shown how negative emotions and depression have a harmful effect on health, the researchers reckon their study is one of the first to look at the health benefits of a positive frame of mind.
(Source: Psychosomatic Medicine, 2015; 1: doi: 10.1097/PSY.00000000000238)
