Optimism and immunity.

Did you know that those "glass is half full" sorts among us may be less likely to get sick than the "half empty" pessimists? The link between attitude and coronary artery disease has been well established (see Running & FitNews, May 1998), but this is a new twist on personality and health. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles studied the effect of disposition and situational optimism on the number of helper T-cells and the natural killer cell response. In their study, optimism was associated with higher numbers of helper T-cells, and better natural killer cell function. The study subjects not only benefited from their optimism with a better immune response, but they were also in a consistently better mood than their negative counterparts.

Optimism may be a personality trait that comes with an individual's hard-wiring or genetic endowment, or it may be something that you can cultivate or learn. Probably it's a little of both. In any case, optimism seems to allow you to cope better with stress. Improvements in immune response among those who are optimistic may be due to lower levels of stress. The same stressful circumstances can be interpreted differently. If your assumption is that things will turn out all right, it is likely to be felt as less stressful than a pessimistic take on the same situation. Stress produces a host of physiological responses that, in turn, can affect the immune response.

Assuming that we can choose our attitudes to some extent, look on the bright side and possibly enjoy a better immune response and less stress. Also, recognize the positive effect of exercise on mood and the fact that a good mood and optimism are closely related. Hard to find anything to complain about there.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1998, Vol. 74, No. 6, pp. 1646-1655)