Finding psychological elements that could be used as therapeutic targets to help people live longer and healthier.

When it comes to daily stressors such as domestic tasks or disagreements with others, new research concluded that being more or less optimistic had no effect on how older men psychologically reacted to or recovered from these stressors.

Optimism, on the other hand, seems to increase emotional well-being by reducing the number of stressful circumstances older men encounter or modifying how they interpret stressful situations.

“This study tests one possible explanation, assessing if more optimistic people handle daily stress more constructively and therefore enjoy better emotional well-being,” says corresponding author Lewina Lee.

The team observed 233 older males who first completed an optimistic questionnaire; 14 years later, they reported daily stressors as well as happy and negative moods on eight consecutive evenings up to three times over an eight-year period.

More optimistic males reported not just a reduced negative mood but also a higher positive mood (beyond simply not feeling negative), according to the study.

They also said they had fewer stresses, which had nothing to do with their greater positive mood but did explain their lower negative mood.

While research is increasingly supporting the idea of optimism as a resource that might help people live longer and healthier lives, we still don’t know much about the mechanics behind it.

“Stress, on the other hand, is known to have a negative impact on our health. By looking at whether optimistic people handle day-to-day stressors differently, our findings add to knowledge about how optimism may promote good health as people age,” added Lee.

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