This past weekend my mother in law turned 80. The timing was perfect for most family members to be vaccinated so we could gather together to celebrate. While strugglng with some back issues that have slowed her down of late, she is a person who I feel confident will have many more years of joyful living ahead of her. She is truly one of the most optimistc people I know and will embrace each year as a blessing. Watching her raise her glass to toast her life got me thinking aout all the benefits, both psychologically and physically, that come with being such an optimist.

Research has consistently linked optimism and overall health and longevity.  Optimistic thinkers have lower rates of hypertension, heart disease, lower cancer risks, and lower rates of overall mortality.  One large study published in 2019 (research from Harvard and Boston University) determined that optimists have a life span 11% to 15% longer than average and are more likely to live to age 85 or older!  And this statistic holds true regardless of socioeconomic status, health conditions, depression, social integration, and healthy habits.  One reason believed to underlie this trend is that optimists, when faced with a situation, believe that they can change the outcome, therefore engaging in more proactive behavior in response to a negative experience or diagnosis.

Optimists also tend to have long lasting relationships as well.  According to studies at Stanford University, this holds true even if only one member of the relationship is an optimist.  Optimism leads to a greater sense of perceived support from a partner, which helps couples feel an investment in resolving conflicts.  Optimists also seemed to have the effect of making their partner’s more optimistic and helped their partners be healthier.  Even in work relationships, optimists have better job security and higher job satisfaction. And when faced with hardship or setbacks, optimists tend to bounce back faster and use it to recommit to a goal.

So when reading all of these benefits, if you’re feeling pessimistic about your optimism, here is some good news.  Optimism is a trait that can be learned and developed.  According to Kings College of London, only 25% of optimism is based on inherited factors.  According to research on positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania (go Quakers), anyone can learn to become more optimistic.  Researchers from Penn as well as Johns Hopkins offer these tips to improve your outlook.  Smile more.  Smiling, even fake smiling, reduces heart rate and blood pressure during stressful situations and increases your sense of well being.  Reframe.  When you are in a difficult situation, see if you can find the silver lining.  For example when stuck in traffic, instead of focusing on what you can’t control, think of what the time can offer you, such as listening to some new music or calling a friend (using blue tooth of course).  Have a learning mindset.  Think of challenges and hardships as opportunities for learning and growth.  Gratitude.  Each day take notice of the good things you have in your life, no matter how small.   

It helps to think of optimism as less of a fixed personality and more of a mindset or thinking habit.  At first it may seem like work to shift from the negative to the positive, but with practice, you can indeed look at the full half of the glass instead of the empty half.  And in time, perhaps we can become more like my mother in law, Enid.  Not only will you notice the full half of the glass, but you will drink it up and refill it again and again.