November 5, 2025
Think happy, die later?
Optimism Associated with Exceptional Longevity
Internet split: be positive, ditch doomscrolling, or call BS
TLDR: Two long-running studies say optimistic people live 11–15% longer and are more likely to reach 85+. The comments split between stress-busting cheerleaders who say ditch doomscrolling and skeptics yelling “correlation isn’t causation,” with jokers worrying they’re now stressed about being insufficiently positive.
Think happy, live longer? A big new analysis says optimism is tied to an 11–15% longer lifespan and better odds of reaching 85+, even after accounting for income, illness, smoking, and more. It comes from decades-long tracking of nurses and veterans—simple idea, serious data—but the comments went nuclear. Supporters like Insanity say it’s obvious: less stress, better health. The chorus quickly turned to self-help: unionjack22 urged everyone to ditch “dopaminergic doomloop” apps and stop doomscrolling, quipping that Snapchat can stay “for reasons.”
Cynics showed up fast. anself warned that pessimists will “call BS,” while cubefox flipped the script: maybe long-living people feel optimistic because they’re, well, still alive. That causation-vs-correlation tussle became the main cage fight. Meanwhile RobotToaster delivered the day’s best sigh: “Great, another thing to worry about.” Still, the study claims a dose effect—more optimism, longer life on average—and notes optimism is learnable. So the feed split into two camps: the “log off, touch grass” crew and the “proof or it’s placebo” skeptics. Somewhere in the middle, folks just want practical tips and less rage-bait. If you needed a sign to stop doomscrolling, the internet just handed you one—with a side of memes and eye-rolls. And chuckles.
Key Points
- •Higher optimism is associated with an 11–15% longer average lifespan.
- •The association holds for both women (NHS) and men (NAS) and is dose-dependent (P trend < 0.01).
- •Women in the highest optimism quartile lived 14.9% longer than those in the lowest (95% CI, 11.9–18.0); similar results observed in men.
- •Those with the highest optimism had 1.5 (women) and 1.7 (men) times the odds of surviving to age 85+.
- •Associations persisted after adjustment for socioeconomic factors, health conditions, depression, social integration, and health behaviors.