Optimism and the elderly
[17 October 2004 - Nashua Telegraph] A positive and optimistic attitude can protect elderly people from becoming frail, according to new research exploring the power of positive thinking. Positive attitudes have been known to speed up the healing of fractures, slow the progression of HIV infection and protect against heart disease and stroke. The new study adds to a growing literature on the virtues of being optimistic, having self-esteem, being happy and enjoying life. The seven-year study sampled a large number of elderly Mexican Americans in the Southwest. Frailty was measured using criteria such as weight loss, exhaustion, walking speed and grip strength. People with the most positive attitudes at the start of the study had the smallest declines as time went on, according to University of Texas researchers Glenn V. Ostir, Kenneth J. Ottenbacher and Kyriakos S. Markides. ...