Seeing the Glass Half Full Could Save Your Life

by WiredBerries Editors — April 16, 2008

According to Healthywomen.org, being an optimist not only makes you nicer to be around, it helps you stick around. Pessimists may create more distress for themselves by distorting, denying, and avoiding the situation, says Michael F. Scheier, PhD, professor and head, Department of Psychology, Carnegie-Mellon University, and codirector of the Pittsburgh Mind-Body Center.

"Optimists tend to adjust better to health threats and conditions than pessimists do," says Dr. Scheier, who has researched the effects of optimism on coronary bypass and cancer patients, among others. "There's a lot of evidence out there to suggest that optimism may be important in determining one's physical health status."

For your health, keep on the sunny side!