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The Mantra That Helps You Live Longer
This Week's Tips
The last thing we all need right now is another doom-and-gloom headline. So try this mantra as an antidote: Good times are coming.
Think it. Believe it. Say it to yourself often -- as often as it takes to put yourself in a more positive frame of mind. Not only could it put more bounce in your step, but research shows it may add miles to your life, too.
Great Expectations
It's all about attitude. And the right one did a lot for the women in a study. Those with the most optimism -- a belief that good things will happen -- enjoyed a 14 percent lower risk of dying from any cause during the study, compared with their most pessimistic peers. And the women who saw the glass as half full were also 30 percent less likely to develop heart disease. For more on the health benefits of feel-good thoughts, check out this other RealAge tip.
Raising Resilience
The study findings don't necessarily prove that a bad attitude shortens life. But cultivating a positive mood certainly can't hurt you. A positive attitude does a bunch of good stuff for your health -- like setting you up to cope with stress in healthier ways (such as meditation instead of drinking). Positive people may also deal with stress better and live longer because they tend to enjoy deeper social bonds than cynical types do. Happy-go-lucky just not your style? Then check out these other life-lengthening strategies:
- Step away from life's Major Agers. Here are tips on how to avoid them and live longer.
- Be a slacker. Find out why occasionally goofing off can extend your life.
- Find a path to happiness. Choose from these six amazing options.
RealAge Benefit:
Laughing often can make your RealAge up to 8 years younger.
Optimism, cynical hostility, and incident coronary heart disease and mortality in the Women's Health Initiative. Tindle, H. A. et al., Circulation 2009 Aug 25;120(8):656-662.
