The Longevity Associated With Positive Thinking

We are often told to approach life positively; to see unfortunate events with a silver lining. For many, as their emotions sweep them into the depths of depression or mix together in an overwhelming swirl of fury, this sort of advice is hard to follow and appears more or less useless in the moment. However, expanding past a commonly used proverbial, the practicality of optimism is undeniable and, whilst a less explored direction when discussing the advantages a good mindset provides, has physiological effects on our lifespan.

Optimism and happiness are all relatively abstract notions emphasizing “positive” emotions, such as hope and satisfaction, but their roles certainly expand to more concrete functions. Decreasing vulnerability to mental disorders, bolstering the body’s resilience against stress, and improving the adaptability of cognitive responses, these difficult to quantify concepts have been thoroughly studied regardless in its application to all aspects of everyday life. Specific to today’s conversation, a multitude of research has likewise investigated the correlation between overall psychological well-being and mortality.

Notably, a thirty-five year long cohort study with over 10,000 participants found that hazard ratios for death significantly increased in those with negative thinking. There was an approximate thirty percent difference between ratios of participants with the least and most positive attitude. Separate findings reported that emotional vitality contributed to a fifteen percent decrease in the odds of being screened positive for diabetes, and that men in the highest quartile for pessimism were four times as likely to develop coronary heart disease than were their counterparts in the lowest quartile. Other researchers have come to similar conclusions. Additional extensive literature exploring incidence of, and causes of death due to, frailty, falling, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diseases, depression, cancer, etc., have corroborated the same results: positive attitude predicts longer life spans. Even after adjustment for confounding factors, including different subjects’ gender, socioeconomic status, education, and lifestyle, the direct relationship stands.  In these studies, negative thinking, therefore, is described as an additional risk of death.

Delving into a molecular interpretation, multifarious biomarkers demonstrate the depth and breadth of this phenomenon on the human body. According to one study, affective well-being led to “healthier lipid profile, lower levels of inflammatory markers…better immune responses, and healthier autonomic function”. As each of the listed factors are imperative to normal activity, it is important to go through a breakdown of their distinct impacts. 

Poor blood lipid proportions are generally due to a cross section between unhealthy diets, physical activity, and smoking and alcohol consumption. Affecting glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels, imbalances can lead to dyslipidemia, and subsequent cardiovascular and coronary heart disease. Inflammation is likewise critical, being a central mechanism in depression, diabetes, cancer, certain neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkingson’s disease, and much more. Chronic inflammatory diseases are attributable to over half of worldwide deaths, highlighting the urgent need for methods to decrease or prevent pathways of inflammatory progression. The immune system is one of the most important protectors of the body, and the autonomic nervous system is responsible for all involuntary actions from heart rate to respiration and digestion. Optimistic thinking influences every one of these functions, thus explaining why less optimistic individuals are more at risk of health issues and, on average, live shorter lives. Especially as the body ages and the effectiveness of natural protective measures start to decrease, one’s mental attitude holds a clear significance in maintaining physical health. By both mitigating deleterious effects and enhancing beneficial ones, a positive mentality promotes a longer and higher quality of life. 

Additionally, the self-perception of aging, derived from social influence, internalization of stereotypes, and expectations, can greatly affect how one ages. Through exchanges with and exposure to others, people tend to attribute certain traits to older populations. A study found widespread agreement between young, middle-aged, and senior subjects of a predicted trajectory of life. Characteristics of clumsiness and sluggish movement were ascribed to those in their fifties to eighties; traits of adaptability and determination were given to those in their twenties and were expected to decline as they aged. Such negative stereotypes lead to others, when interacting with older individuals, to assume a patronizing tone and usage of language. As they encounter this, the elderly, especially those who’ve developed a bleak outlook on their future, likely internalize these lowered standards and perceptions of themselves.

From there, they use those views and accumulated experiences to judge emotions of hardship or happiness, altogether constituting their “will to live”, which has substantial impact on how long they actually do. If older individuals employ self-protective defense mechanisms to avoid susceptibility to age-related stereotype threats, they will presumably be able to uphold their psychological well-being and have a lengthened lifespan of around 7.5 years when compared to others who cannot, as outlined in one study. Else, they may be subject to a decreased will to live, whether conscious or not, which can be analogous to subsequently speeding up aging.

From both a biological and psychological perspective, optimism mediates diminishing bodily functions, cynical beliefs, and discrimination to reversely further longevity. Especially as mental health has become a greater topic of discussion, the elderly population should not be excluded. It is paramount that we understand how positive thinking affects the aging process in order to better advocate and provide care for the individuals who require it.

---

Shirley Zhang is currently a high school senior from Maryland dedicated to pursuing a career at the intersection of science, medicine, and service, with a particular interest in neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Beyond her academic endeavors, she indulges in watching shows alongside her two cats and drawing to relax.

References

1. Conversano C, Rotondo A, Lensi E, Della Vista O, Arpone F, Reda MA. 2010. Optimism and its impact on mental and physical well-being. Clin. Pract. Epidemiol. Ment. Health. 6:25-9. doi:10.2174/1745017901006010025. 

2. Paganini-Hill A, Kawas CH, Corrada MM. 2018. Positive Mental Attitude Associated with Lower 35-Year Mortality: The Leisure World Cohort Study. J. Aging Res. 2018:2126368. doi:10.1155/2018/2126368.

3. Boehm JK, Trudel-Fitzgerald C, Kivimaki M, Kubzansky LD. 2015. The prospective association between positive psychological well-being and diabetes. Health Psychol. 34(10):1013-21. doi:10.1037/hea0000200.

4. Pänkäläinen MT, Kerola TV, Hintikka JJ. 2015. Pessimism and the risk for coronary heart disease among middle-aged and older Finnish men and women: a ten-year follow-up study. BMC Cardiovasc. Disord. 15:113. doi:10.1186/s12872-015-0097-y.

5. Gale CR, Cooper C, Deary IJ, Aihie Sayer A. 2014. Psychological well-being and incident frailty in men and women: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Psychol. Med. 44(4):697-706. doi:10.1017/S0033291713001384.

6. Burns RA, Byles J, Mitchell P, Anstey KJ. 2012. Positive components of mental health provide significant protection against likelihiod of falling in older women over a 13-year period. Int. Psychogeriatr. 24(9):1419-28. doi:10.1017/S1041610212000154.

7. Huffman JC, Legler SR, Boehm JK. 2017. Positive psychological well-being and health in patients with heart disease: a brief review. Future Cardiol. 13(5):443-50. doi:10.2217/fca-2017-0016. 

8. Boehm JK, Peterson C, Kivimaki M, Kubzansky L. 2011. A prospective study of positive psychological well-being and coronary heart disease. Health Psychol. 30(3):259-67. doi:10.1037/a0023124.

9. Whooley MA, Browner WS. 1998. Association between depressive symptoms and mortality in older women. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group. Arch. Intern. Med. 158(19):2129-35. doi:10.1001/archinte.158.19.2129.

10. Saz P, Dewey ME. 2001. Depression, depressive symptoms and mortality in persons aged 65 and over living in the community: a systematic review of the literature. Int. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry. 16(6):622-30. doi:10.1002/gps.396. 

11. Gong E, Hua Y, Yan LL. 2016. Psychological wellbeing and all-cause mortality in the oldest old in China: a longitudinal survey-based study. Lancet 388:S22. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31949-3.

12.  Steptoe A, Demakakos P, de Oliveira C, Wardle J. 2012. Distinctive Biological Correlates of Positive Psychological Well-Being in Older Men and Women. Psychosom. Med. 74(5):501-8. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e31824f82c8.

13. Muga MA, Owili PO, Hsu CY, Chao JCJ. 2019. Association of lifestyle factors with blood lipids and inflammation in adults aged 40 years and above: a population-based cross-sectional study in Taiwan. BMC Pub. Health. 19:1346. doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7686-0.

14. Hedayatnia M, Asadi Z, Zare-Feyzabadi R et al. 2020. Dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease risk among the MASHAD study population. Lipids Health Dis. 19(1):42. doi:10.1186/s12944-020-01204-y.

15. Sherpa LY, Deji, Stigum H, Chongsuvivatwong V et al. 2011. Lipid profile and its association with risk factors for coronary heart disease in the highlanders of Lhasa, Tibet. High Alt. Med. Biol. 12(1):57-63. doi:10.1089/ham.2010.1050. 

16. Berk M, Williams LJ, Jacka FN et al. 2013. So depression is an inflammatory disease, but where does the inflammation come from? BMC Med. 11:200. doi:10.1186/1741-7015-11-200. 

17. Alam Q, Alam MZ, Mushtaq G, Damanhouri GA, Rasool M, Kamal MA, Haque A. 2016. Inflammatory Process in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases: Central Role of Cytokines. Curr. Pharm. Des. 22(5):541-8. doi:10.2174/1381612822666151125000300.

18. Kinney JW, Bemiller SM, Murtishaw AS, Leisgang AM, Salazar AM, Lamb BT. 2018. Inflammation as a central mechanism in Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement. (N.Y.). 4:575-90. doi:10.1016/j.trci.2018.06.014.

19. Furman D, Campisi J, Verdin E at al. 2019. Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span. Nat. Med. 25:1822–32. doi:10.1038/s41591-019-0675-0.

20. Waxenbaum JA, Reddy V, Varacallo M. 2022. Anatomy, Autonomic Nervous System. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539845/#:~:text=The%20autonomic%20nervous%20system%20is,%2C%20digestion%2C%20and%20sexual%20arousal.

21. Levy B. 1996. Improving memory in old age through implicit self-stereotyping. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 71(6):1092-107. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.71.6.1092. 

22. Levy BR, Hausdorff JM, Hencke R, Wei JY. 2000. Reducing cardiovascular stress with positive self-stereotypes of aging. J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci. 55(4):P205-13. doi:10.1093/geronb/55.4.p205.

23. Heckhausen J, Dixon RA, Baltes PB. 1989. Gains and Losses in Development Throughout Adulthood as Perceived by Different Adult Age Groups. Dev. Psychol. 25(1):109-21. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.25.1.109.

24. Nelson T. 2002. Ageism: Stereotyping and prejudice against older persons. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

25. Levy BR, Banaji MR. 2002. Implicit ageism. Nelson T., , ed. Ageism: Stereotyping and prejudice against older persons. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

26. Levy BR, Slade MD, Kasl SV. 2002. Longitudinal Benefit of Positive Self-Perceptions of Aging on Functional Health. J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. 57(5):409–17. doi:10.1093/geronb/57.5.P409.

27. Levy BR, Slade MD, Kunkel SR, Kasl SV. 2002. Longevity increased by positive self-perceptions of aging. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 83(2):261-70. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.83.2.261.