For myself I am an optimist…

For myself I am an optimist; I don’t see much use in being any other way. –Winston Churchill

Just came across this article. Nothing extraordinary, but a good reminder.

Optimistic women ‘live longer’

Women who are optimistic have a lower risk of heart disease and death, an American study shows.

The latest study by US investigators mirrors the findings of earlier work by a Dutch team showing optimism reduces heart risk in men.

The research on nearly 100,000 women, published in the journal Circulation, found pessimists had higher blood pressure and cholesterol.

Even taking these risk factors into account, attitude alone altered risks.

Optimistic women had a 9% lower risk of developing heart disease and a 14% lower risk of dying from any cause after more than eight years of follow-up.

In comparison, cynical women who harboured hostile thoughts about others or were generally mistrusting of others were 16% more likely to die over the same time-scale.

One possibility is that optimists are better at coping with adversity, and might, for example take better care of themselves when they do fall ill.

In the study, the optimistic women exercised more and were leaner than pessimistic peers.

Lead researcher Dr Hilary Tindle, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, said: “The majority of evidence suggests that sustained, high degrees of negativity are hazardous to health.”

A spokeswoman for the British Heart Foundation said: “We know that hostile emotions can release certain chemicals in the body which may increase the risk of heart disease, but we don’t fully understand how and why.

“Optimistic or hostile attitudes can be linked to health behaviours such as smoking or poor diet, which may also influence heart health.

“A good thing for all women is that regardless of your outlook, making healthy choices such as not smoking and eating well, will have much more of an impact on your heart health than your outlook.

“More research is needed to explore how and why these psychological attitudes may affect health.”

From BBC.org

Got moves?

For Nearly Half of America, Grass Is Greener Somewhere Else

Where would Americans most like to live – and how do they feel about the place they currently call home?

A new national survey by the Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project finds that nearly half (46%) of the public would rather live in a different type of community from the one they’re living in now – a sentiment most prevalent among city dwellers. When asked about specific metropolitan areas where they would like to live, respondents rank Denver, San Diego and Seattle at the top of a list of 30 large cities, and Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati at the bottom.

The study also found that most Americans have moved to a new community at least once in their lives, although a notable number–nearly four-in-ten–have never left the place in which they were born. Asked why they live where they do, movers most often cite the pull of economic opportunity. Stayers most often cite the tug of family and connections.

Full report here. A long read but worth maybe just looking at the charts and graphs. Biggups to the Pew Research Center. An unfortunate name but they rock. Dismal outcome for Ohio. No word on where Columbus ranks…

Eating Right Can Save the Planet

Mark Bittman

This New York Times food columnist has just released a book detailing what I think it the most compelling argument for vegetarianism. Not even strict vegetarianism necessarily. If you’re among those of us interested in some of the simple, small lifestyle changes you can make to use less energy/resources while also saving some money, consider cutting down the meat intake. Here’s NPR’s recent special on Bittman’s book.