Pessimism correlates with leukocyte telomere shortness and elevated interleukin-6 in post-menopausal women.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational study
PubMed 19111922 · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2008.11.006
What was done
Authors analyzed the cross-sectional association between dispositional optimism/pessimism and markers of immunosenescence (leukocyte telomere length and interleukin-6 levels) in 36 healthy post-menopausal women. Multiple regression models controlled for chronological age and caregiver status, entering optimism and pessimism simultaneously.
What was found
Pessimism was independently associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length (beta = -0.68, p = 0.001) and higher interleukin-6 concentrations (beta = 0.50, p = 0.02). Optimism was not independently associated with telomere length or interleukin-6.
Why it matters
The findings provide preliminary observational evidence that dispositional pessimism, rather than low optimism, is linked to biomarkers of accelerated biological aging and systemic inflammation.
Limits
The sample size is very small (n = 36) and limited to healthy post-menopausal women. The cross-sectional design prevents causal inference, and residual confounding from unmeasured lifestyle or physiological factors cannot be ruled out.
Cited by
- supports High trait pessimism is associated with shorter telomeres.