A new study finds that people who see the glass as half full have
significantly better cardiovascular health than those who are more
cynical.
The University of Illinois study examined associations between optimism and heart health in more than 5,100 adults.
“Individuals with the highest levels of optimism have twice the odds
of being in ideal cardiovascular health compared to their more
pessimistic counterparts,” said lead author Dr. Rosalba Hernandez, a
professor of social work at the University of Illinois.
“This association remains significant, even after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and poor mental health.”
Cardiovascular health was calculated from seven metrics: blood
pressure, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose and serum cholesterol
levels, dietary intake, physical activity, and tobacco use.
These metrics are used by the American Heart Association (AHA) to
define heart health and are the current emphasis of the AHA in its
Life’s Simple 7 public awareness (LS7) campaign.
In accordance with AHA’s heart-health criteria, the researchers
allocated zero, one or two points — representing poor, intermediate, and
ideal scores, respectively — to participants on each of the seven
health metrics.
The scores were then summed to arrive at a total cardiovascular
health score. Participants’ total health scores ranged from zero to 14,
with a higher total score indicative of better health.
The participants, who ranged in age from 45-84, also completed
surveys that assessed their mental health, levels of optimism, and
physical health, based upon self-reported existing medical diagnoses of
arthritis, liver, and kidney disease.
Researchers found a correlation between Individuals’ total health
scores and their levels of optimism. People who were the most optimistic
were 50 and 76 percent more likely to have total health scores in the
intermediate or ideal ranges, respectively.
The association between optimism and cardiovascular health was even
stronger when socio-demographic characteristics such as age, race and
ethnicity, income, and education status were factored in.
People who were the most optimistic were twice as likely to have
ideal cardiovascular health, and 55 percent more likely to have a total
health score in the intermediate range, the researchers found.
Researchers found that optimists had significantly better blood sugar
and total cholesterol levels than their counterparts. They also were
more physically active, had healthier body mass indexes, and were less
likely to smoke.
The research findings have been published in the journal Health Behavior and Policy Review.
Investigators believe the findings may be of clinical significance,
given that a 2013 study indicated that a one-point increase in an
individual’s total-health score on the LS7 was associated with an eight
percent reduction in their risk of stroke, Hernandez said.
“At the population level, even this moderate difference in
cardiovascular health translates into a significant reduction in death
rates,” Hernandez said.
“This evidence, which is hypothesized to occur through a
biobehavioral mechanism, suggests that prevention strategies that target
modification of psychological well-being — e.g., optimism — may be a
potential avenue for AHA to reach its goal of improving Americans’
cardiovascular health by 20 percent before 2020.”
The current study is significant because it examines the association
of optimism and cardiovascular health in a large, ethnically and
racially diverse population. In the study sample, 38 percent were white,
28 percent African-American, 22 percent Hispanic/Latino, and 12 percent
Chinese.
Data for the study were derived from the Multi-Ethnic Study of
Atherosclerosis (MESA), an ongoing examination of subclinical
cardiovascular disease that includes 6,000 people from six U.S. regions,
including Baltimore, Chicago, Forsyth County in North Carolina, and Los
Angeles County.
MESA, begun in July 2000, followed participants for 11 years,
collecting data every 18 months to two years. Hernandez, who is an
affiliated investigator on MESA, is leading a team in conducting
prospective analyses on the associations found between optimism and
heart health.
“We now have available data to examine optimism at baseline and
cardiovascular health a decade later,” said Hernandez, who expects to
have an abstract completed in 2015.
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Man Vs. Woman: The Effect of Childhood
Do boys and girls respond differently to the same childhood
experiences? How do those differences play out as the boy becomes a man,
and the girl grows into a woman?
In my work as a psychologist, I have seen remarkable gender differences in the effects of Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN). First, a quick review.
CEN in a nutshell:
When children’s emotions are not validated enough by their parents, they minimize and push down their feelings in order to get along in their family. As adults, they lack enough access to their own emotions. Since emotions are a primary source of connection and richness in life, these folks end up going through their lives feeling vaguely empty or numb, disconnected, and confused about what is wrong with them.
When boys and girls grow up this way, are they affected differently? Does a CEN man feel differently than a CEN woman? The answer is yes.
First, two caveats: The masculine effects often appear in women and vice-versa, so please do not take these differences as absolute. Second, these observations are based upon my own clinical experience and have not been specifically researched.
That said, it is true that in many ways, the CEN gender differences are not very surprising. In recent years, neuroscientists have found that men have more connections in their brains from front to back and within each hemisphere than women, making them more suited to perception and coordinated actions. Women, on the other hand, have more connections between the hemispheres. This gives women an advantage in the areas of intuition and interpersonal processing.
Generally, men and women suffer equally when it comes to CEN. But women tend to be harder on themselves and to become excessive caretakers and givers, ignoring their own needs and feelings. They can end up feeling drained and exhausted because they are not taking care of themselves and have difficulty saying “no” to others.
Men, on the other hand, are more inclined to embrace and value the feelings of isolation and disconnection that go along with CEN. Men with CEN may misperceive their isolation as a sign of masculine strength. Yet these men are also pained by the feeling that they are not connected when they are with other people. They struggle with feeling ignored and overlooked by others, but lack the words to express it.
One thing that I have seen over and over in CEN men is an acute discomfort (often anxiety) in large groups of people, especially when they are expected to socialize. In these situations, their intensive individuality combines with the feeling of being ignored to create a special type of misery.
The other primary difference I see between women and men’s CEN is what they do with their feelings. Women feel ashamed for having emotions. They turn their anger against themselves. Men are more likely to be totally unaware that they have feelings at all.
Anger is more accepted from men than from women in today’s world. So men don’t suppress their anger as much as women. Instead, they may alternate between suppressing it and then feeling it unexpectedly, sometimes directing it towards others and sometimes toward themselves.
What happens when two people with CEN form a relationship or marry? I can tell you that it makes for some very interesting challenges. Check back to see a future blog on this topic.
Some of the most remarkable characteristics of people with CEN deserve mention here. CEN people, both men and women, are exceptionally likeable folk. This is part of the tragedy of CEN. These are some of the most lovable people in the world, and yet they feel the most alone. They are typically excessively competent, stand-up folks; yet they feel invisible. They suffer because some vital ingredient is missing from their lives. Yet that missing ingredient is their own emotions, which are not missing; just suppressed.
If I could gather all of the CEN men and women in the world together in one huge room, here is what I would say to them:
You are not invisible, and you are not to blame. You have no reason to be ashamed. Ask yourself what you feel and why, and you will find your true self there. Your emotions will become your compass, your comfort and your connection to life. And then you will realize how very much you matter.
In my work as a psychologist, I have seen remarkable gender differences in the effects of Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN). First, a quick review.
CEN in a nutshell:
When children’s emotions are not validated enough by their parents, they minimize and push down their feelings in order to get along in their family. As adults, they lack enough access to their own emotions. Since emotions are a primary source of connection and richness in life, these folks end up going through their lives feeling vaguely empty or numb, disconnected, and confused about what is wrong with them.
When boys and girls grow up this way, are they affected differently? Does a CEN man feel differently than a CEN woman? The answer is yes.
First, two caveats: The masculine effects often appear in women and vice-versa, so please do not take these differences as absolute. Second, these observations are based upon my own clinical experience and have not been specifically researched.
That said, it is true that in many ways, the CEN gender differences are not very surprising. In recent years, neuroscientists have found that men have more connections in their brains from front to back and within each hemisphere than women, making them more suited to perception and coordinated actions. Women, on the other hand, have more connections between the hemispheres. This gives women an advantage in the areas of intuition and interpersonal processing.
Generally, men and women suffer equally when it comes to CEN. But women tend to be harder on themselves and to become excessive caretakers and givers, ignoring their own needs and feelings. They can end up feeling drained and exhausted because they are not taking care of themselves and have difficulty saying “no” to others.
Men, on the other hand, are more inclined to embrace and value the feelings of isolation and disconnection that go along with CEN. Men with CEN may misperceive their isolation as a sign of masculine strength. Yet these men are also pained by the feeling that they are not connected when they are with other people. They struggle with feeling ignored and overlooked by others, but lack the words to express it.
One thing that I have seen over and over in CEN men is an acute discomfort (often anxiety) in large groups of people, especially when they are expected to socialize. In these situations, their intensive individuality combines with the feeling of being ignored to create a special type of misery.
The other primary difference I see between women and men’s CEN is what they do with their feelings. Women feel ashamed for having emotions. They turn their anger against themselves. Men are more likely to be totally unaware that they have feelings at all.
Anger is more accepted from men than from women in today’s world. So men don’t suppress their anger as much as women. Instead, they may alternate between suppressing it and then feeling it unexpectedly, sometimes directing it towards others and sometimes toward themselves.
What happens when two people with CEN form a relationship or marry? I can tell you that it makes for some very interesting challenges. Check back to see a future blog on this topic.
Some of the most remarkable characteristics of people with CEN deserve mention here. CEN people, both men and women, are exceptionally likeable folk. This is part of the tragedy of CEN. These are some of the most lovable people in the world, and yet they feel the most alone. They are typically excessively competent, stand-up folks; yet they feel invisible. They suffer because some vital ingredient is missing from their lives. Yet that missing ingredient is their own emotions, which are not missing; just suppressed.
If I could gather all of the CEN men and women in the world together in one huge room, here is what I would say to them:
You are not invisible, and you are not to blame. You have no reason to be ashamed. Ask yourself what you feel and why, and you will find your true self there. Your emotions will become your compass, your comfort and your connection to life. And then you will realize how very much you matter.
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