A number of previous studies have suggested that taking an optimistic view on life may be beneficial to health and that a positive attitude may increase the life expectancy of heart disease patients. A new study has shown that high levels of optimism in older people may reduce the risk of heart failure.
The research was carried out by a team led by Eric Kim of the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan. They wanted to look at how optimism affects the risk of heart failure in older patients as the majority of heart failure diagnoses are in people aged over 65 years. This relationship has not been studied previously.
In collaboration with investigators from Harvard University, the researchers analysed the background information, health history and psychological data of 6,808 older adults who were participating in a Health and Retirement Study.
All participants were followed for 4 years, and researchers took into account certain factors that could impact participants' heart failure risk, such as health behaviours, chronic illnesses, and biological and demographic factors.
The investigators found that individuals who had higher levels of optimism had a 73% lower risk of heart failure over the study period, compared with those who were pessimistic.
The team says previous research has found that optimism may cause people to adopt healthier lifestyles, such as following a healthier diet, exercising more and managing stress levels appropriately, which could explain these latest findings.
Dr Kim said: "As these two lines of research continue to grow, I think it would eventually be interesting to test if people who decide to participate in optimism interventions start acting in healthier ways and accumulate better health. More research is needed before we get to that point, but it's an intriguing idea."
The findings of the study were published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure.
