Chapter 1
Think well, live well: the power of optimism
Optimism is a matter of life and death. Put simply, optimists live longer and live better. Optimism is not inherited: anyone can learn to be more optimistic. As a recovering pessimist, this is very good news. This chapter will show:
- Optimists live longer
- Optimists live better
- What optimism really is, and is not
- How anyone can become more optimistic
Optimists live longer
Nuns show just how much optimism matters if you want to survive.4 Nuns are very good for such research because most of the control variables have been removed: they have similar beliefs, they have the same daily routines, the same diet and the same access to medical care. We could say that they have the same habits. ...
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