People have long speculated that mental state plays an integral role in physical wellbeing. After all, sayings such as “heartbreak can kill” or “you can die of a broken heart” seem to bear this out.
Evidence has demonstrated the positive mental states’ capacity as resilience resources and protection from psychopathology, making positive psychology an integral area of scientific investigation and intervention.
Optimism
Optimism is the belief that good things will occur and people’s hopes or aspirations can eventually come true, and thus can provide hope that our dreams or goals will eventually come true. It is a positive state of mind and characteristic of human nature; most individuals fall somewhere along an optimistic-pessimistic continuum and show both qualities at various times and to varying degrees.
Studies have found that optimists generally experience superior mental and physical health than pessimists. Positive people tend to take more proactive steps towards protecting their wellbeing while pessimists may engage in unhealthy habits more readily; optimists also tend to engage in problem solving behavior more readily while experiencing less stress – two key contributors to chronic illnesses.
Martin Seligman, founder of Positive Psychology movement and “Learned Optimism”, asserts that optimists may inherit certain characteristics; however, optimism can also be learned and developed with practice. According to him, cultivating an optimistic mindset can change our lives positively.
Happiness
Happiness has been linked with improved immune systems and can speed recovery from illness more quickly. Maintaining a positive attitude also reduces stress, leading to lower blood pressure and heart rates.
One study asked individuals to rate themselves every week for three months on how happy they felt; three years later, researchers repeated the exercise and discovered that those who reported being most content were overall healthier; they had lower blood pressure and heart rates as well as being less likely to develop cardiovascular disease.
One study examined the diary entries of nuns who began journaling upon entering a convent as early as their 20s. Over 30 years, those happiest nuns outlived those less so by 7-10 years; happiness may help people deal with adversity better while leading them down healthier paths such as exercising regularly, eating healthily and sleeping well.
Motivation
People have long recognized the relationship between mind and body to their physical wellbeing; studies have confirmed this phenomenon and shown how mental states can have an effect on physical well-being through various means, including through physical activity. Studies also demonstrate how people who are motivated to perform physical tasks tend to be more physically active with better health outcomes.
Davidson has discovered that positive emotions activate “reward pathways” in the brain’s ventral striatum area, activating reward pathways through experiencing pleasant moments and leading to healthy habits such as exercising or eating well. These reward pathways may then lead to healthful actions like exercising and eating well.
Motivation can be increased through various approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness meditation and exercise programs with goal setting and motivational interviewing included. Furthermore, more work needs to be done on understanding the relationship between specific healthy lifestyle behaviors and motivation.
Self-esteem
People with high self-esteem tend to take more risks and step outside their comfort zones more readily, quickly recovering when failures arise. Furthermore, having a healthy view of yourself makes you less prone to negative patterns of thought such as all-or-nothing thinking or overgeneralizing (viewing one negative event as creating general rules in your life).
Recent research demonstrated a correlation between self-esteem and physical health, and their correlation was mediated by the volume of the hippocampus; when larger, self-esteem increases accordingly.
Stepping up to build your self-esteem can extend and improve life. Try practicing gratitude, participating in enjoyable activities, and spending time with supportive friends; avoid comparisons; this only leads to unnecessary stress. And always compliment yourself; over time positive thinking should become second nature. All rights are reserved by 2017.
