As Dr. Lisa R. Yanek, PhD, a specialist in public health at Johns Hopkins University, and her colleagues discovered.
This finding held true even in people with a genetic predisposition to heart disease who had most of the risk factors for coronary heart disease. However, people with a positive outlook were 13% less likely to have a heart attack and another coronary heart disease than their negative counterparts.
Dr. Yanek and her team contrasted a person's positive versus negative view through a survey that assessed a person's optimism, energy or activity levels, anxiety levels, and overall satisfaction with their health and life. "You don't need a survey to assess your own positivity," says Dr. Yanek. "I think people tend to be more inclined to really know themselves."
Heart and Hope
The mechanism of the relationship between positivity and human health remains a mystery, but researchers believe that positive people may be more protected from the inflammatory damage caused by stress. Another possibility is that hope and positivity help people make better decisions about their lives and health, as well as focus more on their long-term goals.
Studies have also discovered that negative emotions and feelings can weaken the immune system's response to diseases that affect the body. What is clear, however, is that there is a strong and well-established link between health and positivity, and additional studies have found that a positive outlook and attitude improves life satisfaction and treatment outcomes in a wide range of different conditions, including traumatic brain injury, stroke, and brain tumors.
The possibility to strengthen the bright side of your life
According to Dr. Yanek, although a positive personality is something we are born with that we cannot innately change, there are steps you can take to improve your outlook on life and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
1. Smile regularly
A University of Kansas study found that smiling, even if it was fake, lowers your heart rate and blood pressure during stressful situations. For this, try humor therapy by watching funny videos on YouTube for a few minutes. It may be hard to do so when someone steps on your foot while you're waiting in line or you get angry over a particular family or professional situation; however, it's hard not to smile while watching your favorite funny video.
2. Reform your thoughts
For example, you can be grateful for owning a car, that you can spend a few extra minutes listening to the news or music, instead of stressing about the traffic, and accepting that there is nothing you can do about traffic.
3. Be mentally resilient
Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt to stressful and negative situations and losses. Experts recommend the following basic methods for building resilience:
- Maintain good relations with your family and friends.
- Accept that change is part of life.
- Acting or taking action on the problems you encounter, rather than simply hoping they will disappear or waiting for them to resolve themselves.
In conclusion
Here are some helpful definitions:
1. Cardiovascular diseases
These are problems that affect the heart or blood vessels and are often caused by atherosclerosis - the build-up of fatty deposits in the walls of the arteries - and high blood pressure, which can weaken blood vessels. It exacerbates atherosclerosis and leads to the hardening of the arteries. Valvular heart disease, heart failure, and abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias are also types of cardiovascular diseases.
2. Immune response
It is how the body's immune system identifies bacteria or germs, viruses, different types of toxins, and other harmful substances to defend the body against them. This response can include anything from coughing and sneezing to an increase in the number of white blood cells responsible for attacking and eliminating foreign and harmful substances.
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