Old people pessimistic live longer?

(February 27, 2013), according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association, the elders, who do not expect much for a good future, have They are more likely to live longer , be healthier than those who are optimistic about a bright tomorrow.

"Our findings suggest that over-optimistic predictions about a good future are associated with a higher risk of disability and death in the next decade , " led the group of authors, Frieder R. Lang, PhD, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, said.

"Pessimism about the future can make people more cautious, take care of their health and take precautions, ensure safety." This study is published online in the journal Psychology and Aging.

Lang and colleagues studied data collected from 1993 to 2003 for the German National Socio-Economic Council, an annual survey of households covering about 40,000 people from 18 to 96 years old. The researchers divided the data by age group: from 18 to 39 years of age, aged 40 to 64 and aged 65 and over. Primarily through interviews, interviewees are asked to rate how well they are satisfied with their current lives and predict how much they will be happy with their lives in the next five years.

According to the study, 5 years after the first interview took place, 43% of the oldest group underestimated the satisfaction of their future lives, 25% correctly predicted and 32% was overestimated. Based on the average change in life satisfaction over time for this group, for every scale that is overestimated, the satisfaction of future lives can increase the risk by 9.5%. disability and 10% risk of death, analysts revealed.

Also according to the study, because the more pessimistic view in the future is often more realistic, older people can more accurately predict their satisfaction about life in the future. In contrast, the youngest group has the most positive and bright future outlook, while middle-aged people make the most accurate predictions. However, over time, when they get older they will become more pessimistic.

"Unexpectedly, we also found that good health and high income are closely related to only hope for the future, compared to poor health conditions or low incomes , " Lang to speak. "Moreover, we find that higher income is associated with a risk of disability."

Researchers measured the satisfaction of current and prospective interviewees on a scale of 0 to 10 and the accuracy of predicting their life satisfaction by measuring others. The difference between satisfaction with the expected life stated in the report in 1993 and the satisfaction with the actual life reported in the 1998 report.

They analyzed the data to determine age differences in expected life satisfaction, accuracy in predicting life satisfaction; Age, gender and income differences in the accuracy of predicting satisfaction with life and the proportion of people with disabilities and deaths according to the 1999 to 2010 report. Other factors , such as illness, medical treatment, or personal loss, can all affect health, the study said.

According to the authors, these findings do not contradict the theory that being optimistic (though perhaps not realistic) about the future can sometimes help people feel better when they are faced with. Traumatic outcomes inevitably, such as being terminally ill."However, we think the impact of optimistic, accurate or pessimistic forecasts depends on the age and current living conditions of each person , " Lang said. "These findings shed light on how our perspective can help or hinder us from taking practical actions to improve our chances of having a healthy long life."