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Many genetic, sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors influence longevity. To answer the question of whether an optimistic attitude also affects longevity, investigators studied more than 70,000 participants in the Nurses' Health Study and the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study from whom detailed health, sociodemographic, and lifestyle data have been collected over several decades. Participants also completed validated instruments that measure optimism.
In both sexes, higher optimism levels correlated with increased longevity, with a dose–response relation, after adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors and coexisting health conditions. Study participants with the highest levels of optimism had 50% (for women) and 70% (for m…