Good attitude can add 7.5 years to life expectancy

[silverlib]

http://www.memorialhermann.org/healthnews/MedicineontheHorizon/moth0406.htm
(HealthDay News) --

As they say -- at the end of the day -- what matters most is what matters to you. In other words, how well you age will be determined by how you feel about getting older.

There’s scientific evidence to back this up. All the other factors concerning staying healthy and alert in one’s later years are important: proper nutrition, regular exercise, staying mentally agile through word games and keeping up on the latest news all contribute to a better quality of life in later years.

But a positive attitude about aging may actually help you live longer. On the other hand, if you have a tarnished view of your golden years, you may cut your life short.

A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that older people with positive self-perceptions of aging lived 7.5 years longer than people with negative self-perceptions about getting older. This is a significant finding when medical achievements in longevity are often measured by extended life one-to-two years.


And something I saved a while back - apologies for not having a link

1. A lways making today my best day.
2. T aking pride in a job well done.
3. T reating others with respect.
4. I solating my negative thoughts.
5. T reating tasks as opportunities.
6. U tilizing my talents every day.
7. D oing the job right the first time.
8. E xpecting positive outcomes daily.
9. S peaking well of others everyday.

[bryant69]

1. so having a bad attitude ensures you won't have it for as long

Good to know.

Bryant

[malaise]

2. Holy Sh#t

I just lost seven years watching Bush.

[mwb970]

6. You kid, but it's true.

I actually think that the stress of having to watch this terrible president trash our country year after year after year is having a deleterious effect on the mental health of many Americans. I know that there has never been another time in my life (I'm 57) when I felt so constantly besieged and stressed-out and helpless over something large and external like this. I experience anger at bush and the Republicans every single day and it's been almost seven years like this now. That can't be good for a person.

I will be so very glad when this long national nightmare is finally, finally over.

[tridim]

8. We all did.. At least we wont miss those years much

2009 is the year I begin healing.

[Ian David]

3. People with bad attitudes may be able to recover lost ground by taking matters into their own hands

Masturbation 'cuts cancer risk' (BBC)
Topic started by eppur_se_muova on Sep-22-07 08:57 PM (62 replies)
Last modified by Ramonna Villota on Sep-27-07 03:14 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=222&topic_id=25803

[silverlib]

5. Ahh- I remember that thread well...

Reminds me of a "poker" joke I heard many years ago -

"Who needs a partner when you've got a good hand."

[maxsolomon]

4. well, i'm screwed.

typical.

;)

[whoneedstickets]

11. You think you've got it bad?!

you posted a smiley face!

[seabeyond]

7. good. with ten i lose for smoking leaves deficit of 2.5. how much do i get for not overweight

and staying fit and eating healthy, .... i might be ahead.


ahhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

see how peaceful i am, wink. and optimist. glass not just half full but overflowing in excess.

[silverlib]

9. I'm at -30.5 years on some days...

The attitude shifts on a daily basis - I'm a periodic smoker - helps me maintain overweight over obese.

[seabeyond]

10. ya know. then 40yr old healthy marathon runner keels of heart attack

cause of genetics and some nasty old fart outlives wife 40 yrs drinkin and smokin and being mean dies at 100.

genes just throws the wrench into the whole mix of it.

[TlalocW]

12. Well, that's actually good for the people with rotten attitudes

They'll either shuffle off their mortal coil and not have to suffer through any more rotten days, or this news will cheer them up, and they'll live longer. :)

I've found that not watching unfiltered television news and television in general helps with a better attitude. The news programs are just trying to scare you into watching them, and I feel I'm more informed from reading the news and analysis (both left and right) on the internet than getting it spoon-fed to me by political hacks with talking points. Daily Show and the Colbert Report help out tremendously as well. :)

TlalocW

[silverlib]

13. When writing the OP

I was actually thinking about all the negative attitudes in the threads concerning our fellow men/women whose imperfections may include smoking and obesity -

This thread has really turned out to be just plain ol' fun - with a much better satiric attitude than the frame of mind in which I started it.

Thanks! (and Comedy Central certainly is good therapy for my bad attitude that sometimes creeps up unexpected.)

[enki23]

14. and how, pray tell, did they control for *actual* aging issues?

i didn't see a single statement in that article that indicated this conclusion was not simply a gigantic post hoc fallacy.

as for the rest... there's nothing in the world more irritating than mindless "feel good" bullshit. this is the precise reason pessimists die earlier. the saccharine "optimistic" bullshit shoveled at us by walking, talking hallmark cards drives us over the goddamned edge.

1. not every day will be your "best day"

2. taking pride in a job well done is easy when you did the job well and it's done. when it wasn't done well, or on time, you're being a dishonest asshole to pretend it was. sometimes you might need to do that for your dishonest asshole of a boss, if the situation requires, but there's something seriously wrong with you if you're capable of lying to yourself that effectively.

3. some people do not warrant respect. to show them respect equal to those who *do* warrant respect is to disrespect the ones who actually deserve it.

4. what in holy hell does "isolating my negative thought" mean?

5. i'll remember to treat doing the dishes tonight as an "opportunity". most likely an opportunity to get a backache from the fact that counters and sinks aren't designed for people over six feet tall.

6. i'd rather use my talents than utilize them. as for using them "every day..." that's a cute saying. pointless, but cute. does this also apply to people who have a talent for angry sarcasm?

7. do the job right the first time is a nice saying for people who do the same job over and over and don't have to learn how to do new jobs. and for those who don't go about discovering new things. this saying is probably responsible for discouraging legions of people who didn't, in fact, do it right the first time, because they couldn't fully comprehend how it might go wrong till they did it. still, it's probably a good rule of thumb for people who design and build bridges and nuclear reactors.

8. i'd think it would be more useful to expect the most likely outcome, rather than count on the best possible outcome. that way you might be prepared to deal with the most likely event rather than the optimal event. silly me.

9. gosh, others are neat. i really appreciate others.

[silverlib]

15. Well, your 7.5 years just headed south with mine.

I agree that this is a post hoc fallacy - just like most studies on longevity. You may have noticed the intent of the post in one of my previous responses.

The nine points you responded to were just a feel-good list that I saved sometime back and not part of the article - which means that the list would mean different things to different people at certain times - and will also mean absolutely nothing to the same people at some point. "Isolating my negative thought" to me, today, would mean that if I think someone's OP stinks, I would keep it to myself unless it had a negative impact on society. I certainly don't look negatively at the list as you do (which gives you the absolute right to post your thoughts - just a thought of mine as I certainly know that you don't need or desire my opinion)- just one example - "Taking pride in a job well done" would mean not taking pride in a job not well done.

And to add that I also do not necessarily buy into the longevity part, I do believe that a good attitude toward ourselves and others certainly adds to the quality of life.

Peace to you.