Optimists Blessed with Better Health

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Trying to answer “why?”

 

It could be that a propensity for pessimism, anxiety and these brain diseases share a common risk factor—a gene or some quirk of brain chemistry.

 

Another possibility, Rocca says, is that a pessimistic outlook leads to more anxiety, which can disrupt levels of stress-related hormones, or knock the body’s endocrine or nervous systems out of whack. Then, theoretically at least, this could trigger some cascade of events that damages the brain and leads to Parkinson’s or dementia.

 

It’s premature to start testing whether anti-anxiety drugs could prevent these diseases, Rocca says. But it’s easy to imagine why a pessimist might suffer more from stress than an optimist.

 

Pessimists’ double whammy of anxiety

 

First, pessimists often interpret events as more stressful. Say a friend is late for a dinner date. An optimist might think: Oh good, I’ve got a moment to catch my breath. But a pessimist might fret: Did she forget? Was she in an accident? Does she think my time isn’t as valuable as hers?

 

Second, when faced with stress, pessimists often don’t cope as well.

 

Optimists have a curious habit of seeing stresses as challenges and forging ahead. Pessimists obsess or give up, so daily stresses build up. Chronic stress is rough on the body. It weakens the immune system and contributes to higher blood pressure, migraines, sleep deprivation, stomach problems and even skin breakouts.

 

Self-help books have pushed the “power of positive thinking” for decades. However, a growing area of research suggests the connection between attitude and health has more to do with the ravages of stress than the triumph of happy thoughts. That means, whether you are a pessimist or an optimist, learning to cope with anxiety constructively may be more important – or at last more helpful – than simply trying to look on the bright side.

Vocabulary Focus

propensity (n) [prE5pensiti] a tendency towards a particular way of behaving, especially a bad one

out of whack (idiom) not operating correctly or looking right

interpret (v) [in5tE:prit] to decide what the intended meaning of something is

 

Specialized Terms

endocrine (adj.) 内分泌（腺）的 relating to the organs of the body, such as the pituitary gland or the ovaries, which produce and release hormones into the blood to be carried around the body

 

保持乐观，拥有健康

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试着找出原因

悲观倾向、焦虑和这些脑部疾病可能有一个共同的危险因子，也许是基因或某种奇怪的脑部化学变化。

若卡表示，另一个可能性是，悲观的想法导致更严重的焦虑感，可能使与压力相关的荷尔蒙浓度发生异常，或导致身体的内分泌或神经系统动能失调。至少在理论上，焦虑可能会触发一连串损坏大脑的状况，进而导致帕金森症或痴呆。

若卡说，现在就开始测试抗焦虑药物是否能预防这些疾病还言之过早。不过，我们不难想象悲观主义者为何比乐观主义者遭受更多压力。

 

悲观者的双重焦虑诅咒

第一，悲观主义者常将一些事件解读成较会带来压力的情况。假设一个朋友约好一起吃晚餐却迟到了，乐观主义者会想：太好了，我有时间来喘口气，可是悲观主义者就开始发愁：她忘了我们有约吗？她发生了什么意外？她认为我的时间没有她的宝贵吗？

第二，面对压力的时候，悲观主义者通常无法妥善处理。

乐观主义者有一个奇怪的惯性，他们视压力为挑战并奋力前行。悲观主义者则会想不开或放弃，因此每天的压力不断累积。慢性压力对身体的伤害很大，会削弱免疫系统，造成高血压、偏头痛、失眠、肠胃问题，甚至皮肤突然长满痘子。

几十年来，自我成长类的书籍一直在推动“正面思考的力量”。然而，愈来愈多研究显示，就心态对健康的影响而言，压力的负面后果比愉快思考所产生的益处，影响更大。也就是说，不管你是悲观主义或乐观主义者，学习建设性地处理焦虑可能比只努力看光明的一面更重要，或者至少比较有帮助。