don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

A visitor to Earth might think that he/she or it had arrived at a propitious hour, given the apparent avalanche of breakthrough scientific findings turning up at this time in human history. Would such an assumption be an accurate perception? Probably not.

However, it might seem so given the fact that research findings are published regularly in medical and other journals and then appear in summary form, sensationalized for audience appeal, in daily newspapers and TV sound bites put forward as breaking news. No wonder aliens or, as is more often the case, regular, non-expert ordinary folks, find themselves alarmed, surprised and often confused by the latest "breakthrough discoveries." The latter usually turn out to be anything but breakthroughs, but instead simply interesting, though incomplete and tenuous, hypotheses inviting further research.

Wellness enthusiasts who value critical thinking know better than to leap to conclusions each time new study results are announced. They take such headline stories with more than their recommended daily allowance of grains of salt. The vast majority, however, being not so focused on wellness or self-managing lifestyles consciously directed toward patterns of lifestyle artistry, are not as perceptive. They make too much of the latest findings. It would be best, I think, if all new study information carried a warning label: "Caution -- these findings are tentative, at best. Further testing and assessment of results is necessary before these findings can be relied on for health care or other decisions." Of course, it is always better to know these common sense sorts of things than to rely on warning labels.

I think along these lines with each story about an amazing new study, such as appeared the other day (19 November) in the New York Times under the banner "Power of Positive Thinking Extends, It Seems, to Aging." Well, maybe, but maybe not. Then again, I suppose the writer made that point when she (Mary Duenwald) inserted "it seems" in the title of her article.

As a "look on the bright side kind of guy," I favor the pursuit of happiness, optimism, positive thinking and all of that in a big way, whether taking such perspectives leads to longer life or not. I would want to think positively even if it were to cost me years of life! Such a "bright side" mindset makes the time one has so much more enjoyable. Always go with quality over quantity, not that you have to choose in this case of positive versus negative thinking. There is, happily, no such trade-off. Let's look at the most recent "latest study" to see if there is anything beyond the headlines worth getting excited about.

The above noted research on aging and optimism was conducted in Oxford, Ohio. It involved 660 people age 50 plus. The study looked at attitudes about aging. Subjects were asked if they agreed or disagreed with a wide range of questions related to positive versus negative thinking. The data were compiled, sorted, and viewed on a longitudinal basis to see if there were survival differences between those who viewed aging in a hopeful light versus those who embraced a darker view. (The latter included feelings of hostility, anxiety and depression.) The results showed notable differences in longevity -- as much as 7.5 years longer on average in favor of those with optimistic attitudes about getting older.

Other studies regarding links between optimism/happiness and longevity have provided similar findings, including one done at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. In the Mayo project, psychological tests given to more than 800 people in the early 1960's indicated that pessimists had a 19 percent greater risk of death for any given year than average folks, let alone positive thinkers.

All the same, one of several reasons not to leap to the conclusion that the Ohio study represents the final word worth pronouncing on matters of optimism and longevity is the fact that it does not reveal whether happiness can actually CAUSE longevity. Another plausible explanation for the data is that happier, more optimistic people live longer because they are the ones living wellness lifestyles. Still other explanations are possible that were not explored. Maybe it's because they are all Republicans (or Democrats), or because they all had more (or less) sex than the folks in the categories classed as pessimistic or because they ate more (or less) broccoli. Not likely, but it's possible, as are other explanations.

What conclusion do I recommend, based on this latest finding? Be optimistic and positive -- such states are their own reward. If you are not currently in this positive class, fake it! Pretend to be a bright side kind of guy/gal, and escalate, if possible, your wellness lifestyle with activities that make you even fitter and enable you to have more fun, more adventure and more DBRU equivalents.

If you want to go beyond that sort of thing, study ways to adopt a brighter outlook. You can do this by reading books on the topic. Start with those by Martin E. P. Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania who has done many studies on multiple aspects of optimism. Dr. Seligman believes people can learn to adopt more optimistic outlooks -- and offers many reasons why it is worthwhile doing so. In fact, he annually recruits freshmen for "optimism training" that helps students adapt successfully to the stresses and challenges of college life. His books on this subject include Learned Optimism (1991), What You Can Change . . . and What You Can't (1993) and Authentic Happiness (2002.) I have read them all -- and recommend them to optimists, pessimists and anyone else who plans to age.

Be well. I trust there is no need to add, "and look on the bright side of life." Ooops. Too late.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the MENTAL DOMAIN under the skill area of emotional intelligence. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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