Optimists May Have Fewer Strokes

A positive outlook on life may reduce your risk of stroke, a new study finds. Researchers based their study on data from a large study of U.S. adults. All were over age 50. More than 6,000 men and women in the study took standard tests of optimism. The test was scored on a 16-point scale. None of them had ever had a stroke when the study began. In the next 2 years, 88 strokes occurred. Adjusted for age, each point increase on the optimism scale was linked to a 9% lower risk of stroke. Researchers also adjusted the numbers to account for differences in people’s blood pressure, weight and other factors. The optimists still were less likely to have a stroke. The journal Stroke published the study online July 21. HealthDay News wrote about it.