That's the danger, isn't it? That we make sick people feel that it is their "fault" because they weren't positive thinkers. Or that if they just didn't make the time to have cancer that they wouldn't have gotten it. Right?
There may, however, be a correlation in this way: Optimistic thinkers deal with stress better. And stress is a direct cause of many illnesses. So if you can battle stress better, you may indeed be sick less and live longer. And if you feel you're a born pessimist, you can learn optimistic habits. Here's a Discovery Health story on "Learned Optimism" and its benefits to your health:
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Anon,
That's the danger, isn't it? That we make sick people feel that it is their "fault" because they weren't positive thinkers. Or that if they just didn't make the time to have cancer that they wouldn't have gotten it. Right?
There may, however, be a correlation in this way: Optimistic thinkers deal with stress better. And stress is a direct cause of many illnesses. So if you can battle stress better, you may indeed be sick less and live longer. And if you feel you're a born pessimist, you can learn optimistic habits. Here's a Discovery Health story on "Learned Optimism" and its benefits to your health:
http://health.discovery.com/centers/mental/articles/optimism/optimism.html
December 9, 2009 - 8:48amThis Comment
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