High optimism linked with longer life and living past 90 in women across racial, ethnic groups
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
"Although optimism itself may be affected by social structural factors, such as race and ethnicity, our research suggests that the benefits of optimism may hold across diverse groups," said Hayami Koga, a PhD candidate in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard Chan School and lead author of the study.
"A lot of previous work has focused on deficits or risk factors
that increase the risks for diseases and premature death. Our findings suggest
that there's value to focusing on positive psychological factors, like
optimism, as possible new ways of promoting longevity and healthy aging across
diverse groups."
The study will be published online on June 8, 2022, in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
In
a previous study, the research group determined that optimism was linked to a
longer lifespan and exceptional longevity, which was defined as living beyond
85 years of age. Because they had looked at mostly white populations in that
previous study, Koga and her colleagues broadened the participant pool in the
current study to include women from across racial and ethnic groups. According
to Koga, including diverse populations in research is important to public
health because these groups have higher mortality rates than white populations,
and there is limited research about them to help inform health policy
decisions.
For
this study, the researchers analyzed data and survey responses from 159,255
participants in the Women's Health Initiative, which included postmenopausal
women in the U.S. The women enrolled at ages 50-79 from 1993 to 1998 and were
followed for up to 26 years.
Of
the participants, the 25% who were the most optimistic were likely to have a
5.4% longer lifespan and a 10% greater likelihood of living beyond 90 years
than the 25% who were the least optimistic. The researchers also found no
interaction between optimism and any categories of race and ethnicity, and
these trends held true after taking into account demographics, chronic
conditions, and depression. Lifestyle factors, such as regular exercise and
healthy eating, accounted for less than a quarter of the optimism-lifespan
association, indicating that other factors may be at play.
Koga
said that the study's results could reframe how people view the decisions that
affect their health.
"We
tend to focus on the negative risk factors that affect our health," said
Koga. "It is also important to think about the positive resources such as
optimism that may be beneficial to our health, especially if we see that these
benefits are seen across racial and ethnic groups."
This
research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01AG053273,
K08048221). The Women's Health Initiative is funded by the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and the
Department of Health and Human Services.
Story
Source:
Materials provided by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Note:
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