Why pessimists live longer

Older people who have low expectations for a satisfying future may be more likely to live longer, healthier lives than those who see brighter days ahead, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. Those who see death and sickness in the future have a much more accurate picture of what lies in their path. Those who see only rainbows and sunshine ahead are fooling themselves and are less likely to live healthy, cautious lives.

Imagine how happy I am on the rare occasion when good things actually happen. They ask direct questions about how serious things were, and through their conversations they came and sat with me in the worst possible places.

I will always be grateful to him for that. Earlier this year, research published by the American Psychological Association showed that pessimists— because of their penchant for seeing life through a grim lens—take steps to improve their health, and thus tend to live longer than optimists. In addition, senior citizens who overestimated how happy they would be in five years were found to have a 9.

It makes common sense: The squirrel most worried about winter will save the most acorns and be glad he did. The surprising findings of this study was that.

In other words, people who are neurotic i. I know, I know. That sounds totally crazy. How can pessimists--with all their emotional sturm und drang--be living longer than optimists, who are more likely than pessimists to eat well and exercise, and less likely than pessimists to smoke and drink heavily?

According to neuroscientists, pessimists tend live longer than optimists because they worry more about their health. Unlike optimists, pessimists fearing the worst tend to run to the doctor the moment they experience a symptom of ill health.