Study on Women Shows Optimism Associated With Living an Extra Four Years of Life

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A Harvard University study on women across different racial groups suggests links between optimism and a longer lifespan; with the group scoring the highest on optimism associated with an extra 4.5 years of life when compared to the lowest-scoring group.

“Our findings suggest that there’s value to focusing on positive psychological factors, like optimism, as possible new ways of promoting longevity and healthy aging across diverse groups,” said lead author of the study, Hayami Koga.

The study found that optimism remained consistently correlated with longevity regardless of the factors considered whilst pessimism was associated with a shorter life span.

The study found women who were in the top 25 percent for optimism had a 10 percent higher chance of living past the age of 90 when compared to the bottom 25 percent on optimism and were also more likely to have a 5.4 percent longer lifespan, translating to 4.5 more years.

The authors suggest that the impact of optimism may be comparable to that of exercise as studies have shown that exercise adds 0.4 to 4.2 years of life—similar in years to the findings of this study.

As part of the study, women aged 50 to 79 years were recruited from 1993 to 1994 and scored based on their survey responses to optimism, lifestyle, race, education, marital status, and more. Follow-ups were conducted within 26 years following the study, and more than 131,000 women were studied.

The researchers found that for the 55,885 women that had the highest prediction for longevity; after taking into consideration their optimism and lifestyle, over half—53 percent—lived over 90 years of age.

Further, the team noted that the association between optimism and life expectancy generally excluded depression, suggesting that “optimism may confer benefits for longevity beyond simply signaling the absence of depression.”

Lifestyle factors, such as regular exercise and healthy eating, also played into an increase in lifespan, but accounted for less than a quarter of the optimism-lifespan association, indicating other factors at play.

Though no racial group had significantly stronger associations between lifespan and optimism, the study found that women that scored higher for optimism were more frequently to be non-Hispanic white, “had higher education levels, were less likely to report prevalent health conditions including depression, and had somewhat healthier lifestyle.”

The researchers’ previous study conducted in mostly non-Hispanic white women also reinforced the optimism and longevity association, finding optimism was associated with a longer lifespan by 15 percent.

Speculating on the reason behind the association, the authors reason that optimists may be less prone to stress. Previous studies on psychological stress and distress suggest that these experiences can trigger a host of physiological changes including immune responses, hormonal changes, and cell damage.

“Optimists appear to have greater social support, use problem-solving and planning strategies to minimize health risks, and are better able to regulate emotions and behavior,” the team wrote.

Koga said that the findings of this study may shift the way we perceive decisions made on health.

“We tend to focus on the negative risk factors that affect our health,” said Koga. “It is also important to think about the positive resources such as optimism that may be beneficial to our health, especially if we see that these benefits are seen across racial and ethnic groups.”

The study was published online on June 8, 2022, in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, a peer-reviewed journal.