Are Pessimists more likely to die of heart disease?

Being a pessimist may be raising your blood sugars and blood pressure which may lead to heart disease.  During an 11-year study of over 2000 men and women – some optimists and some pessimists – they found that the 121 people who died of heart disease were pessimists.  The pessimists think that their lives are much gloomier, so they have a tendency to live shorter lives than the optimists.  Optimists live their lives with a better outlook, so they have a tendency to live longer, healthier and happier than the pessimists.  Although being an optimist doesn’t guarantee that you will have a longer life or healthier lifespan but if you look at life positively you may not have the same health dangers that negativity does.

A research team in Finland is the first team to do a study between optimists and pessimists and the affect they have on heart disease.  The study showed the levels of pessimism might be able to show the risk factors of diabetes, hypertension and smoking in getting the information that they need to determine the risk of CHD (Congenital Heart Disease) mortality between those optimists and the pessimists.  They find that high levels of pessimism can lead to cardiac episodes and inflammation but it’s not conclusive.  The study by questionnaire was conducted on Finnish men and women between the ages of 52 and 76 of over 2200 people.  It measured their blood sugar, blood pressure, and lifestyle.  The optimists decided that they will expect the best and the pessimists decided that if it will go wrong it will.

The study showed that pessimism is not good for your health.