THE IMPORTANCE OF A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Many believe that their attitude affects their life.
« I believe there is a connection between the mind and the body – and that our thoughts and attitudes/emotions affect physical functioning and overall health. » – Norman CousinsMany of you may be familiar with the extraordinary life and story of Norman Cousins, diplomat, editor and author.
Cousins died in 1990, but in the mid-1960s, he was diagnosed with a fatal illness and told his death was imminent.
Although he was almost completely paralyzed, Cousins decided to leave the hospital. Afterward, he threw away his medications, checked into a hotel and surrounded himself with things that made him laugh. He also watched Laurel and Hardy movies, read books with positive messages, enjoyed comic books from his childhood and pored over inspirational writings.
Detailed in one of his books, “ Anatomy of a Disease ,” Cousins chronicled his journey and incredible restoration to complete health with another kind of medicine: laughter coupled with a change in perspective and attitude.
CAN OPTIMISTS REALLY CURE THEMSELVES?
OR, CAN HUMOR IMPACT HEALTH?
IF YOU MAKE STATEMENTS LIKE, “I’M SICK WITH WORRY” OR “I’M SCARED TO DEATH,” COULD YOU BE FEEDING A DISEASE?
THIS IS WHAT THE STUDIES SAY:
Current and long-term research tells us that the mind and the immune system are necessarily connected. In fact, they do not exist independently.
For example, if you expect illness, you increase your chances of getting sick. Or, if you expect good health, your chances of enjoying good health increase with that positive attitude.
Duke University reported in the journal Medical Care that the way we perceive our health has a dramatic effect on our actual health. They asked a group of 3,000 heart patients to rate their health.
Those who responded “very well” had three times the survival rate of those who responded “poor.” And, that was regardless of their health variables.…AND REGARDLESS OF RISK FACTORS, THOSE WHO RATED THEMSELVES IN POOR HEALTH APPROXIMATELY DOUBLED THEIR RISK OF DEATH IN FIVE YEARS.
In addition, Johns Hopkins University confirms what Duke University reported. Its researchers interviewed more than 5,000 people over the age of 65.
Regardless of risk factors, those who viewed themselves as being in poor health roughly doubled their risk of death within five years.
It’s hard to believe, but pessimism proves to be more deadly than congestive heart failure or smoking 50 or more packs of cigarettes each year.
Dr. Gunnar Engstrom, a professor at Lund University in Sweden, has studied self-ratings of health. He says: “ A positive attitude about health can prevent mental distress and may help provide important protection against disease .”In 1973, Dr. Grossarth-Maticek tested the behavior of thousands of elderly residents in Heidelberg, Germany. And the surprising results came to light twenty-one years later.
That’s when he compared the test results to his current health. ” The 300 people who scored the highest turned out to be 30 times more likely to be alive and well 21 years later than the others .”
A seven-year study at the University of Texas found that people with a positive outlook on life may actually slow down aging. This study suggests that psychosocial factors play a role along with genes and physical health in determining how quickly we age.
There is speculation that positive emotions could alter the body’s chemical balance. Leading the research, Dr Glenn Ostir told BBC News Online : ” I think there is a connection between the mind and the body – and that our thoughts and attitudes/emotions affect physical functioning and overall health. “
OTHER STUDIES
Past president of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Irvine, California, says, “ Humor stimulates laughter, and we know that physiological stimulation through laughter leads to a number of health benefits by reducing stress and boosting infection-fighting antibodies.
The research, particularly on heart disease, is dramatic. In fact, chronically angry people are four to five times more likely to have a heart attack than people who are not angry .
Other studies show that depressed people are perhaps 42 percent more likely to develop diabetes. Sadness seems to increase the odds against you.John Barefoot, a research professor with a Ph.D. at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, began a 25-year study of medical students in the 1950s. At the end of the study in 1980, he concluded that those who were hostile were more likely to die. Later, expanded studies have confirmed those same findings.
WHAT CAN BE DONE
Support groups can have a powerful impact on health, too. When it comes to sadness and depression or painful circumstances, researchers found that cancer patients who attended a support group lived longer.
Our mind is a powerful weapon. In fact, we can use it to defeat our enemy, illness, or as an ally to heal us and give us excellent health.Perhaps there is something in the old adage: “ Laughter is the best medicine. ”
