TITLE

How Your Outlook Affects Your Lifespan

DESCRIPTION

Can our outlook and perspective on life events affect our health in the long term?  The article presents several studies that attempt to answer the question.  “Looking on the bright side may do more than just help you get through tough times—it might actually help you live longer. In a new Harvard University study, women who had an optimistic outlook were less likely to die from several causes, including top killers like heart disease, cancer, and infection…The study isn’t the first to make a connection between optimism and health benefits; other research has linked the positive-thinking personality trait to a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular problems, for example. But this is the first time it’s been associated with protection from other major illnesses.”  The field of Positive Psychology (Seligman’s research) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy have long studied the outcomes of how people think.   The studies presented in the article are correlational and the researchers have attempted to control for as many variables as possible.  They conclude that optimism does, in fact, affect our health outcomes.

SOURCE

TIme,  December 8, 2016, by Amanda MacMillan

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://time.com/4595633/optimism-live-longer/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share-article&utm-term=health_mental-healthpsychology

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/y98ngjub

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•Begin by restating the meaning of “correlation does not prove causation.”   What does this mean in understanding research?

•What do the researchers mean by an optimistic outlook?

•How has the research in this area been conducted?

•How and why have the researchers tried to control for many aspects of behavior (health conditions, depression, and healthy behaviors—such as eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and not drinking excessively or smoking) to draw their conclusions?

•How would Positive Psychology explain the results of the study?