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The glass is not half empty: optimism, pessimism, and health among older adults
Michael D Barnett1, Ellen A Anderson2
1Department of Psychology and Counseling, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, Texas, USA.
Objectives:
Optimism and pessimism are distinct constructs that have demonstrated independent relationships with aspects of health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether optimism or pessimism is more closely linked with physical and mental health among older adults.
Design:
Cross-sectional survey.
Participants:
Community-dwelling older adults (N = 272) ages 59-95 in the southern United States.
Measurements:
The Life Orientation Test-Revised and the Short Form 8.
Results:
At the bivariate level, optimism was associated with higher physical health and mental health, while pessimism was associated with lower physical health and mental health. Multiple-regression analyses as well as comparison of correlation coefficients found that pessimism was more closely associated with physical health and mental health than optimism.
Conclusions:
These results add to the literature suggesting that, in terms of older adults' health and well-being, avoiding pessimism may be more important than being optimistic.
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