The Impact of Optimism

There is an additional study (Reference 2) that obtains similar results. A Dutch study involving 999 men and women, aged 65 to 85, completed a questionnaire that determined optimism, among other things. During a 9 year followup, they find that the most optimistic people had a Risk Ratio of 0.55 (Margin of Error 0.42 to 0.74) for all-cause mortality, compared to the most pessimistic subjects. For cardiovascular mortality, they found a Risk Ratio of 0.23 (Margin of Error 0.10 to 0.55) after adjusting for factors similar to those in the previous study. This improvement in mortality accounts for much of the overall mortality effect.