Such a familiar division of people into pessimists and optimists was filled with new content. It turns out that these two categories of people differ not only in how they look at life, but also in life expectancy.
German scientists found that people who are wary of life, because they do not expect anything good from it, are attentive to their health and lead a more cautious lifestyle. While optimists are constantly at risk of getting dangerous diseases.
The experiment lasted 10 years. It was attended by 40 thousand adults of different ages, who first had to make predictions for their future and evaluate their satisfaction with life. Among the elderly, 43% did not have high expectations for the future, 25% spoke cautiously about the future, 32% showed themselves to be avid optimists.
After 5 years, participants who overestimated their future, the risk of disease and disability increased by 10%.
Those elderly people who did not build rainbow plans were more attentive to their health and to life in general. Among the younger people, optimists were mostly identified, and for 10 years their health was at great risk.
However, earlier studies have shown that optimism can play a significant role in the fight against deadly diseases.
In the course of the experiment, another no less interesting fact was found out - in addition to a positive attitude, a high salary leads to illness and premature death.
