Optimism is associated with exceptional longevity in 2 epidemiologic cohorts of men and women.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective longitudinal cohort study
PubMed 31451635 · doi:10.1073/pnas.1900712116
What was done
Researchers assessed the relationship between baseline optimism and exceptional longevity (survival to age 85 or older) across two prospective cohorts: female nurses from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS, 10-year follow-up, 2004–2014) and male veterans from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study (NAS, 30-year follow-up, 1986–2016). Optimism was measured with the Life Orientation Test-Revised (NHS) and the Revised Optimism-Pessimism Scale from the MMPI-2 (NAS). Accelerated failure time models and logistic regression were used, adjusting for demographic confounders, health conditions, and health behaviors.
What was found
In both cohorts, higher optimism showed a dose-dependent association with increased longevity (P trend < 0.01). Adjusted for demographics and health conditions, women in the highest versus lowest optimism quartile had a 14.9% (95% CI, 11.9 to 18.0) longer lifespan, with similar results observed in men. Individuals in the highest versus lowest optimism groups had 1.5 (women) and 1.7 (men) greater odds of surviving to age 85, which remained significant after adjusting for health behaviors.
Why it matters
This study shows that psychological optimism is independently associated with exceptional longevity, indicating that psychosocial factors may serve as potential targets in healthy aging strategies.
Limits
Participant sample sizes (n) were not reported in the abstract. The study is observational, precluding causal inference. Different psychometric instruments were used to assess optimism in each cohort, and the cohorts (nurses and veterans) may not be representative of the general population.
Cited by
- supports Multiple studies demonstrate that higher levels of optimism improve aging outcomes and longevity.