Harvard Publication on Optimism & Health

Optimism and Your Health
From Harvard Health Publications

From Harvard Health Publications comes the following on optimism and health that should be of great interest to RTs who help their clients toward assuming optimistic views.

The article states:
"According to a series of studies from the U.S. and Europe, the answer is yes. Optimism helps people cope with disease and recover from surgery. Even more impressive is the impact of a positive outlook on overall health and longevity. Research tells us that an optimistic outlook early in life can predict better health and a lower rate of death during follow-up periods of 15 to 40 years."

Of course, additional research is needed on the connection between optimism and good health.

The Harvard publication closes with the following:
"Personality is complex, and doctors don't know if optimism is hard-wired into an individual or if a sunny disposition can be nurtured in some way (My view is that RTs do nurture optimism!). It's doubtful that McLandburgh Wilson was pondering such weighty questions when he explained optimism in 1915:

'Twixt the optimist and pessimist / The difference is droll / The optimist sees the doughnut / But the pessimist sees the hole.'”