As usual, things are looking up for optimists -- a new report associates positive mental outlook with longer life span. Pessimists beware, however -- research suggests that individuals who profess pessimistic explanations for life events have poorer physical health. The link between mind and body has been contemplated by many, including physicians and philosophers since the time of Plato, however, few long-term studies have closely examined this association.

In this study, Mayo Clinic researchers tracked the 30-year medical histories of 839 individuals who completed standard personality tests as adults between 1962 and 1965. According to the test results, 124 of the study participants were classified as optimists, 197 as pessimists, and 518 fell somewhere in between.

The researchers found that test scores reflecting high degrees of pessimism were significantly associated with a higher-than-expected mortality rate compared with the death rates of either optimists or 'middle-of-the-road' types. In fact, every 10-point increase in pessimism scores was associated with a 19% increase in the risk of death, according to the investigators. Conversely, participants whose test scores indicated optimism had a survival rate significantly better than expected.

How might one's attitude toward the future affect physical health? The researchers speculate that pessimists may be more "passive" than other personality types, leaving them more prone to "bad life events" -- such as illness or injury -- that can shorten life span. Pessimists may also be more prone to depression, Seligman explains, or they may smoke, drink, avoid doctors and otherwise neglect their health because they feel there is little they can do to stave off disease or disability. Finally, Seligman and the Mayo authors note that previous studies link a 'dark' outlook on life with reductions in immune system function.

Mayo Clinic Proceedings February 2000;75:133-134, 140-143.