Having an optimistic outlook on life could help you live longer, according to a new study.
Researchers at Harvard University found that among a group of 70,000 female nurses, the 25% who were most optimistic had a 31% reduced risk of mortality while they were being tracked compared with the 25% who were least optimistic.
In the case of this study, the authors define optimism as the belief that good things will happen in the future.
“Optimists don’t always present as cheerful, but they have the general expectation on the inside that things will be better,” said study leader Eric Kim, a research fellow at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.