Why Optimists Are Healthier People

The Personality Trait Optimism Has Health Benefits



Psychologists once believed that your Big Five Personality Traits were set in stone...but research shows that you can change your personality traits. Not only can you potentially be happier, you could also have a healthier heart and immune system. For instance, research shows optimists are healthier people.



Without a doubt, your personality affects your health - but you don't need a personality test or personality profile to make personality changes. To take advantage of the fact that optimists are healthier people, you can learn personality trait of optimism.




Research Shows Optimists are Healthier People


An article in The Archives of General Psychiatry (Nov 2004) states that major depression is a known risk factor in cardiovascular death – this isn’t new news. Optimists have a 55% lower risk of death from all causes ("all-cause death") and a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular death than pessimists. Optimists are simply healthier people. Optimism isn't a Big Five Personality Trait, but it does have a stronger protective effect in men than women for all-cause death, (but not cardiovascular mortality).





Why Optimists Are Healthier People

Optimists are healthier because they may have better coping strategies. Optimists don’t feel the same sense of hopelessness that pessimists do. Optimists are healthier people because they don't feel the pessimism that increases the incidence and progression of disease. The personality profiles of optimists includes more friends and happier outlooks on life. Optimists are healthier because they have a reduced risk of disease.



Optimists are healthier people because their personality profile makes them more prone to making changes in their lifestyles, such as quitting smoking or eating more nutritiously. Optimists tend to have strong survival mechanisms that they adhere to all their lives, which affects their coping strategies.


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