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People who tend to be optimistic are likelier to live to 85 or more: study

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Re: People who tend to be optimistic are likelier to live to 85 or more: study

#71

Post by TeMPOraL »

dvfjsdhgfv wrote: post #63
mewpmewp2 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should read "factfulness". It annoys me when people talk of the current world and time in negative tones when it is best we have ever had by many measurements. Not that we are having a terrible time, but it is cool to think negatively of the world it seems to me.

> it is cool to think negatively of the world it seems to me. This is one of these temporary fashions, with several factors at play such as Trump rising to power and climate change. But if you take many other into account, such as violent crime from the 80s/90s, we're living in a paradise. As a human, you can handle a limited number of factors. So it really boils down to a personal choice at this point.

> But if you take many other into account, such as violent crime from the 80s/90s, we're living in a paradise.

In the US.

It's not really a temporary fashion; whatever the time and age, people sensitive to injustice and human suffering will find something systematically broken somewhere. Sure it's cute that violent crimes went down in the West in the 90s, it's less fun that innocent slave labor (including children) was being forced at gunpoint to mine tantalum for the capacitors in 2000s so that we here could have our smartphones, all under tacit approval and sometimes control of western corporations. That's one random story I remember being deeply bothered by in my high school years.

So no, I don't think it's a temporary fashion, and nothing to do with Trump or climate change. In every day and age there was something deeply broken somewhere on this planet. But you're right; seeking it out and being bothered about it is a personal choice, and it's an open question whether it's a wise choice - it feels right, but also, if you're not doing anything to help, then it feels like tormenting yourself for no reason.

Re: People who tend to be optimistic are likelier to live to 85 or more: study

#72

Post by rzzzt »

has2k1 wrote: post #55
aytekin wrote: post #38

More likely: "People who live 85 or more have more of the good things like health and safe environment which also makes them optimistic."

It is possible to imagine a potential casual process that leads to earlier death. What if pessimism creates a constant presence of key stress hormones (Adrenaline, Cortisol and Norepinephrine) and these are already linked to higher likelihoods of heart disease, cancer, ...

What if the constant presence of stress hormones makes people more prone to pessimism?

Re: People who tend to be optimistic are likelier to live to 85 or more: study

#73

Post by pella »

The "Optimism" + "Placebo" - theory is also interesting.

(2007)

"A prior investigation found that individuals low in optimism are more likely to follow a negative placebo (nocebo) expectation. The present study tested the hypothesis that individuals high in optimism are more likely to follow a positive placebo expectation."

"Results Optimism was positively associated with better sleep quality in the placebo expectation condition (r=.48, P

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00223...

Re: People who tend to be optimistic are likelier to live to 85 or more: study

#74

Post by pella »

pella wrote: post #73

The "Optimism" + "Placebo" - theory is also interesting. (2007) "A prior investigation found that individuals low in optimism are more likely to follow a negative placebo (nocebo) expectation. The present study tested the hypothesis that individuals high in optimism are more likely to follow a positive placebo expectation." "Results Optimism was positively associated with better sleep quality in the placebo expectati…

Your doctor optimism is more important!

"The placebo effect works and you can catch it from your doctor" (October 22, 2019 )

"If there's one thing you do want to catch from a trip to your doctor, it's her optimism."

"The new study both demonstrates that the placebo effect is transmitted from doctor to patient, and shows how it might work. Researchers randomly assigned undergraduate students to play the role of a patient or a doctor. The "patients" were given a controlled heat stimulus to the forearm, after receiving one of two types of cream from the "doctor.""

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/10/21/npr-the-placebo-eff...

Re: People who tend to be optimistic are likelier to live to 85 or more: study

#75

Post by pella »

pella wrote: post #73

The "Optimism" + "Placebo" - theory is also interesting. (2007) "A prior investigation found that individuals low in optimism are more likely to follow a negative placebo (nocebo) expectation. The present study tested the hypothesis that individuals high in optimism are more likely to follow a positive placebo expectation." "Results Optimism was positively associated with better sleep quality in the placebo expectati…

(January 2020) Journal of Psychosomatic Research:

"The influence of personality traits on the placebo/nocebo response: A systematic review"

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002239991... ( Open )

"Highlights

• Results on the influence of personality traits on placebo responses are heterogeneous.

• More studies are available on the influence of personality traits on the placebo response than on the nocebo response.

• Optimism seems to be positively associated with placebo responses.

• Anxiety might lead to increased nocebo responses.

"

Re: People who tend to be optimistic are likelier to live to 85 or more: study

#76

Post by AmericanChopper »

rzzzt wrote: post #72
has2k1 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is possible to imagine a potential casual process that leads to earlier death. What if pessimism creates a constant presence of key stress hormones (Adrenaline, Cortisol and Norepinephrine) and these are already linked to higher likelihoods of heart disease, cancer, ...

What if the constant presence of stress hormones makes people more prone to pessimism?

What if pessimists are less likely to engage in self-preserving or self-improving behaviour (because why bother), creating a self-sustaining negative feedback loop?

Re: People who tend to be optimistic are likelier to live to 85 or more: study

#77

Post by has2k1 »

wozniacki wrote: post #65
has2k1 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is possible to imagine a potential casual process that leads to earlier death. What if pessimism creates a constant presence of key stress hormones (Adrenaline, Cortisol and Norepinephrine) and these are already linked to higher likelihoods of heart disease, cancer, ...

I'm sure it would seem like there is a link between the two somewhere, even if it is very threadbare or even spurious for that matter. More principally, these things just seem very believable because being optimistic is just a positive attribute that society rewards and approves of much more than it does pessimism (some would say being pessimistic is almost an universal negative, some outlier societies notwithstandin…

Thanks for the excerpt of the study, it is interesting. As persistent stress causes visible signs of aging, for example the seemingly accelerated growth of gray hair and wrinkles of U.S presidents, it is not big a leap to suspect more.

Re: People who tend to be optimistic are likelier to live to 85 or more: study

#79

Post by AmericanChopper »

mewpmewp2 wrote: post #60
kristiandupont wrote: post #50

Yesterday, my wife stumbled upon a "20 pieces of good news" article and read it to me. Things like initiatives being taken to save the bees etc. At first I thought it was a bit silly but I realized that hearing all those good things did something wonderful: it made me feel quite optimistic on behalf of the world, which I can't say I have in a while (in spite of my own life going quite well). Keeping informed is the d…

You should read "factfulness". It annoys me when people talk of the current world and time in negative tones when it is best we have ever had by many measurements. Not that we are having a terrible time, but it is cool to think negatively of the world it seems to me.

The reason for this had always seemed pretty clear to me. Numerous different political ideologies rely heavily on scare mongering, outrage and catastrophizing to motivate their base and inspire followers. Many of the most powerful people or groups around the world have an incredibly vested interest in getting as many people as possible to believe that some particular set of things is very, very wrong with the world, and that they should be granted the power necessary to fix them. A lot of political ideas become obsolete if people realise that the world is a better place than its ever been, and that it continues to improve at a consistent pace.

Re: People who tend to be optimistic are likelier to live to 85 or more: study

#80

Post by WalterBright »

mattsfrey wrote: post #44

A lot of cynicism in the comments here, but having an optimistic outlook has been a boon throughout history in almost all accounts. It's definitely harder today with all of the mass media and the constant negativity, but in my opinion it's hard to argue with the logic.. positive energy yields positive results.. at least more so than negative energy

Every day you can get up out of bed, enjoy a cup of coffee, and go outside and see the trees and smell the air, it's a great freakin' day.
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