Patients with a ‘glass half full’ outlook appear to live about half a decade longer than their gloomier peers, US findings suggest.  

Optimists are also more likely to achieve “exceptional longevity” and live into their 90s compared with pessimists, the large population-based study shows.  

This association between optimism and healthy ageing remained significant even after adjusting for education level, economic status, ethnicity, depression and other chronic health conditions, researchers reported. 

“Optimism may be an important asset to consider for promoting health and longevity in diverse populations,” they wrote in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society.