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Epicure

Glass half full is best

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-12 11:38

Women with an optimistic outlook may live longer and be less likely to develop heart disease than women who take a dimmer view of life, according to a study published on Monday.

Researchers found that among more than 97,000 American women between the ages of 50 and 79, those with generally optimistic dispositions were 14 percent less likely to die over eight years than their pessimistic counterparts.

They were also 9 percent less likely to develop coronary heart disease, and 30 percent less likely to die of heart complications.

That meant that the one-quarter of women who scored highest in optimism had lower rates of developing heart disease than the one-quarter with the lowest scores (deemed "pessimists"): 43 cases per 10,000 women, versus 60 cases. They also had fewer deaths over the eight years: 46 per 10,000 women, versus 63 among pessimists.