If you believe that you are fine, then you have a reasonable chance of really feeling better for a long, long time. A 40-year study shows the correlation between positive thinking and lifespan.

A study from psychologists at the University of Zurich shows that volunteers who reported that they were satisfied with the state of their health had a much lower risk of death than those who reported that their health was not so good.

Positive thinking heals and increases the lifespan

These results seemed to be valid even when taken into account other factors that affect lifespan, such as smoking, chronic diseases, and high blood pressure. These new findings reinforce those of previous studies, according to which positive thinking has the power to “heal” the organism.

The study at the University of Zurich began in the decade of 1970 and included more than 8,000 volunteers. The participants were asked to rate their own level of health and then were submitted to various medical checks.

Three decades later the testing was repeated and the researchers saw that the volunteers who had given positive responses about their health were more likely to live longer than those who had given negative answers.

The leader of the research group David Fäh from the University of Zurich noted:

“Our results show that people who believe that their health is in a good state are likely to have personality traits that help them maintain a good level of health or even improve it. These traits include a positive attitude to life, an optimistic look at things, and a fundamental level of satisfaction with life”.

An increased risk of death in both sexes

The study showed that men who described their health as “very bad” were 3.3 times more likely to have died over three decades compared with those who described their health as “very good”.

In women, the probability of death was 1.9 times bigger in those who reported that they didn’t feel well compared with those who reported that they felt wonderful.

This study is the first long-term research to show the connection between the subjective assessment made by the person on their own health, the lifespan, and the incurred mortality risk.

The researchers emphasize that their findings reinforce the broad definition given to the concept of health by the World Health Organization, according to which

“health is not merely the absence of disease but is a combination of social, mental and physical well-being”.


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This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Positive Thinking

    Hi, just a moment back I was searching for the information on the same topic and now I am here. So much information, really well executed blog. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Anna

      thank you too!

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