Posted by SLS on April 20, 2009, at 7:14:13
In reply to Re: Pessimism leads to early mortality, posted by Neal on April 19, 2009, at 20:59:35
> Interesting concept, but I'm a little skeptical :]
Yeah. Too bad they didn't offer an explanation of possible cause and effect. I wonder if it doesn't have something to do with the HPA axis and cortisol. One thing worth noting is that the most recent studies indicate that, in contrast to what was once thought, optimism does not extend the life of cancer patients. However, it significantly improves their quality of life as is measured in studies. I would think that pessimism can produce depression. Depression can cause premature death, especially through untoward cardiovascular events. That is one possible scenario that I can think of. All in all, it makes no sense to remain chronically pessimistic. It's just no fun.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:889223
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090416/msgs/891741.html