Positive thinking constructive to prolong life span: study

People who believe they are healthy live longer, according to a recent study of more than 6,000 volunteers in Britain, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

Scientist from Britain and Switzerland said the result may support the hypothesis that physiological diagnosis is more effective predictors of people's life span than medical means.

People who believe they are healthy were found to live longer than those somber-minded lamenting the shortness in their lives, analysts said, adding that this estimation of longevity is more reliable than healthy lifestyles such as quitting smoking, making friends and dieting.

The scientists analyzed 29 years of data on the healthy conditions of more than 6,000 volunteers from Newcastle and Manchester, who were aged between 41 and 96 at the start of the study. They were put through regular mental tests and check of daily living conditions.

Among the 65 mortality risks that the study found could potentially influence longevity, the people's perception of health proved to be the most important factors compared with sociodemographic variables, lifestyle attributes, medical indices, and multiple cognitive abilities. In other words, how healthy a person felt for her/himself was found the best indicator of his life span.

"A person's perception of his or her own health status should be taken seriously," said Dr. Stephen Aichele, researcher from University of Geneva.

Psychological Science journal said earlier that the people with an active mind live longer than those with deteriorating brain processing power.

The reason, Dr Aichele said, was that physical illnesses can affect the brain and the loss of mental agileness could indicate pejorative health conditions.

"Our study shows that two psychological variables, lower self-rated health and age-related decrements in processing speed, appear to be specially important indicators of elevated mortality risk in middle-age and older adults," he noted

The other study by Carnegie Mellon University of 360 adults also found that people with more positive assessment of their health conditions tend to have a stronger immune system than otherwise.

"We suggest that these psychological attributes, unlike risk factors that are more narrowly defined, reflect (and are influenced by) a broad range of health-related behaviors and characteristics," Aichele said. Endi