Benefits of Optimism

Optimism is defined as the disposition or tendency to expect the best and see the best of all things. Many people see optimists as wearing rose-colored glasses, not really seeing the truth in reality. Don’t listen to the nay-sayers. Studies show that having an optimistic attitude or outlook on things is healthy, while a poor attitude is actually detrimental to your health.

In a study of about 125 first-year law students, researchers examined the relationship between personal optimism and cell-mediated immunity (CMI), which plays a central role in protecting you against viral infections.

At five points over the course of the school year, participants answered a series of questions and had their CMI measured through a simple skin test.

To gauge their optimism level, they were asked to what degree they agreed with a series of statements, including “I will be less successful than most of my classmates” and “It’s unlikely that I will fail.”

The end-of-year results were decisive. Changes in CMI across time correlated with changes in optimism. When optimism increased, so did CMI. When optimism decreased, so did CMI.

There is a powerful mind-body connection that we all have. Think about it, how many times have you just thought of something stressful and you could feel your whole body react to it?

Take that a little further, have you ever had such a great thought that you felt the joy going through your body? What if you had positive thoughts going through your mind most of the time instead of negative ones?

Seeing the glass as half-full is actually linked to a longer lifespan, reduced risk of stroke and better recovery after surgery. As Paul Rosch, president of The American Institute of Stress, stated:

“Numerous studies support the belief that people with an upbeat and positive perspective tend to be healthier and enjoy longer lives than those who are generally gloomy and cynical about the future.”

The study above bears this out. The better outlook the students had, the better their cell-mediated immunity was, meaning they had better immunity. So, having a positive outlook could then protect your body from the damage of a poor attitude, even to the point of helping your body fight off disease and infections.

What does Optimism Have to do With Health

I first heard about Shaklee from my husband and his family when I was in high school. Around this time my future Mom-in-law knew of a lady in Shaklee who had a twin sister. They were both in their 70′s at the time a picture was taken of them.

The sister who had been taking Shaklee and had a good outlook on life stood up tall, was smiling and looked to be in her early 60′s. The other sister did not want to take Shaklee and did not have a real positive outlook on life. She was bent over, had no smile and looked to be in her 80′s. You could not even tell they were sisters let alone identical twins.

What happened? It has to do with our genes, or our epigenetics (“control above the genes”) to be more precise. Epigenetics focuses on the idea that environmental factors such as diet and stress levels influence, for good or bad, the expression of your genes.

As you age your genome does not change but your epigenome changes dramatically, especially during critical periods of life, such as adolescence. It is influenced by physical and emotional stresses. How you respond to everything that happens in your environment, from climate change to final exams to childhood abuse will effect your health.

In other words, what goes on around and in you will not change your genes, but it will change how those genes function and tell your body what to do.

It is this “expression” of your genes and not necessarily the genes themselves that dictate whether you develop certain diseases or begin to age prematurely.

It has been proven by a massive genetic study called the Genome Project that your genes can create up to 30,000 proteins, all of which can formulate a different outcome.

Bruce Lipton, PhD is a forerunner in epigenetics. As he says, the central dogma of the medical community is that genes control life. The flow of information, they say, starts in the DNA, then goes to RNA, then to protein (the building blocks of our cells). We all learned this in biology class.

What epigenetics says, is, our environment and stress effects how genes perform which then effects what our bodies do. This is huge! It means we are not slaves to our genes. We have the power to change the way our bodies behave. Thoughts and attitudes play a major role in this aspect of health.

Whether you are stressed mentally or able to maintain a positive outlook can influence what your genes do. What you think has the power to influence how healthy you are and directly impact your tendency to develop or avoid diseases as much as what you put into your body.

This is what Dawson Church says about optimism in his book The Genie in Your Genes: Epigenetic Medicine and the New Biology of Intention:

  • Heart surgery patients who have a strong social support network and spiritual practice have a mortality rate 1/7th of those who do not.
  • Studies show that meditating (or praying) for just 30 minutes per day can boost your mood as much as antidepressants.
  • Older people with positive attitudes have a 23% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 55% lower risk from all other causes.

So the more you can do to stay genuinely positive, the better your health outcomes will likely be.

Becoming and Optimist

Like many other things in life, being happy is a choice only you can make for yourself. It is not easy; but we have been given the ability to change the way we think. We make a choice to exercise and eat right or not to. In the same way we have to choose to think positive thoughts or poisonous thoughts. When we realize this, it is so liberating.

Of course things happen in life and it’s not possible to be happy all the time, but that is okay. Acknowledging that there will be times in life when you will get down, is all part of the balance of being and staying happy in general.

Let go of your negative thoughts, stress and past emotional injustices. It’s not easy, but it is possible. Prayer, writing, talking to a friend, pastor or counselor you can trust can help you “get it out” so you don’t have to hold on to it.

There is a unique technique called the Meridian Tapping Technique (MT) or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a do it yourself acupuncture technique which can help you take control of your thoughts and problems and let them go.

It may take some time, but in the mean time, fake it. Put on a smile, it will be a force of will at first, but eventually it will stick. You will laugh easier and start to see the brighter side of things.

Focus on the positive goals and outcomes in your life. Visualize the good and favorable outcomes. See what you want and go for it. The most successful people are those who can get a handle on their dreams, visualize them as their goal and go after them.

When things are getting stressful STOP, take a deep breath and think about something you enjoy. What are your passions, what makes you happy? It doesn’t have to be something you can do everyday, maybe it’s a good memory or a place you’ve been to or a friend who makes you smile.

Try to get rid of the sources of stress and negativity you have to deal with on a daily basis. Replace them with something that brings you up, not down. In some cases this won’t be possible, that is when the power of your mind can change the way you view the situation and make it better.

Bottom Line

I like this definition of happiness: “Happiness is what makes you jump out of bed in the morning with eager anticipation to start your day and to engage passionately in your chosen activities.”

Optimism and stress don’t go together. How you think will affect your health. Thinking positive thoughts helps you avoid stress and the damage it causes. How you think is just as important as how you eat.

Instead of looking down on those with good attitudes, for our own health maybe we should join them.

To Learn More Click these Links

AAGGHH, Why am I Feeling So Stressed Out?

Vitamins For Stress

Health Facts About Stress

Why Take a B Complex Supplement?

The Ultimate Multivitamin Pack

 

 

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