Is your glass half full or half empty? How you view the world affects your health.
Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you see the glass as half full or half empty? When you are confronted with a challenge, does your mind turn to negative thoughts or do you see it as an opportunity for growth and learning?
A study published in The American Heart Association journal, Circulation, involved over 90,000 postmenopausal women in the US. It found that optimists were less likely than pessimists to develop coronary heart disease and less likely to die of any cause over the 8-year trial course. Dr. Hilary Tindle and colleagues ran the study and could not identify the physiological link between optimism and health, but Dr. Tindle’s thoughts were that optimists may have better ways of coping with stress. Therefore, there is not as much increase in blood pressure, heart rate or cortisol, the stress hormone.
According to Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, optimists are more likely to take care of their health and/or are more likeable with better social networks, which have been associated with longevity.
What are your coping skills? Do you handle challenges with grace and ease, or do you crumble? Much of our response to situations is learned from past experiences and some is familial. You are not locked into being a pessimist just because your entire family behaves this way or you have always responded in this manner. You can learn to respond to situations in a more positive way, one that provides you a learning opportunity. When you pour that glass halfway, what do you want to see?