Positive thinkers live longer than negative thinkers. This is according to studies from Boston University. Researchers looked at data on 70,000 nurses and 1,500 veterans. They found that optimists (people who think positively) were more likely to live to 85. Pessimists (people who think negatively) were 11-15 per cent less likely to be 85. Researchers say optimists (positive thinkers) manage stress better than pessimists (negative thinkers).
People answered questions about their diets, exercise, levels of optimism, and how much they smoked and drank. The surveys matched this with levels of health. A professor said raising levels of optimism may help people to live longer. Her advice for pessimists to live longer was to, "imagine a future in which everything has turned out well". She asked people to be more optimistic. She said it was healthier to look on the bright side of life.