Being pessimistic is bad for your heart – but being optimistic doesn’t help September 29, 2025March 3, 2017 by Tom Faranda So – avoid pessimism and say your prayers. Here's a study from Finland – During 11 years of follow-up, 122 people died from coronary heart disease. After controlling for smoking, diabetes and other factors, the scientists found that those in the highest one-quarter of scores on pessimism were more than twice as likely to die of heart disease as those in the lowest one-quarter. But being optimistic had no effect on death rates one way or the other. “Your personality traits can make physical health worse,” said the lead author, Dr. Mikko Pankalainen, a psychiatrist at the Paijat-Hame Central Hospital in Lahti, Finland. “If you’re pessimistic and have some health issues, then it’s even more important to take care of your physical health.”
I’m very optimistic that this pessimistic study is true!