Positive thinking
The weather forecast predicts a chance of showers. Do you see a rainy day with patches of sunshine, or a sunny day with a few raindrops? Believe it or not, whether you pick the negative view or the positive one could make a big difference to your health prospects.
We’ve been told about the health virtues of positive thinking for years, but now researchers believe that they have taken a large step closer to proving the theory. A study published in the European Heart Journal may be the first to show that there is a relationship between positive emotions and coronary heart disease.
Dr Karina Davidson of Columbia University Medical Centre, New York, and her colleagues followed a group of 862 healthy men and 877 healthy women who were taking part in the 1995 Nova Scotia Health Survey. When the study started, trained nurses assessed each participant’s risk of heart disease.
Using a combination of clinical assessment and information from the participants, they also measured their emotions. On the negative side they measured depression, anxiety and hostility, and on the plus side, the degree to which they expressed positive emotions such as happiness, excitement, enthusiasm and contentment – known as the "positive affect".
We don’t always feel the same – our emotions change depending on what’s happening in our world - but by the time we are adults we’ve usually developed fairly stable traits of having largely positive or negative emotions. And those of us who generally have an up-beat approach to life can still be angry or anxious at times (and vice versa).
The results of the 10-year study back up the 'be happy' advice. People with more positive thoughts were at less risk of heart disease.
Dr Davidson, who led the research, said: "Participants with no positive affect were at a 22% higher risk of ischaemic heart disease (heart attack or angina) than those with a little positive affect, who were themselves at 22% higher risk than those with moderate positive affect.
"We also found that if someone, who was usually positive, had some depressive symptoms at the time of the survey, this did not affect their overall lower risk of heart disease.
"People can ensure they have some pleasurable activities in their daily lives," she said, pointing put that some people wait all year for a chance to have fun on their holiday.
"If you enjoy reading novels, but never get around to it, commit to getting 15 minutes or so of reading in. If walking or listening to music improves your mood, get those activities in your schedule.
"Essentially, spending some few minutes each day truly relaxed and enjoying yourself is certainly good for your mental health, and may improve your physical health as well (although this is, as yet, not confirmed)."
"This research found that happier people appeared to be at lower risk of developing heart disease. Previous research has shown somewhat similar effects, but not so clearly as this, and the BHF is funding science to unravel the biology that underlies this link," says Ellen Mason, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
"We would of course recommend that people take time to indulge in healthy activities that can lift their mood, but trying to keep established risk factors under control remains really important. This month we launched the BEAT code – Be active, Eat healthily, Avoid smoking, and Take the lifestyle check at bhf.org.uk, which can help you understand how heart-healthy your lifestyle is and ways you can improve it."
First published February 19, 2010
Useful websites
BBC Headroom www.bbc.co.uk/headroom
British Heart Foundation www.bhf.org.uk
Mayo Clinic www.mayoclinic.com