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Optimistic people live longer, but how do you stay positive in a 'doomed' world?

By Rebecca Huntley
Woman closing her eyes and lifting her face towards the sun, with illustrated lines around her, for a story about optimism.
Australians tend to be relatively optimistic about the short term, pessimistic about the long term, Rebecca Huntley writes.(

Unsplash: Andre Hunter/ABC Everyday: Juliette Steen


In breaking news, apparently optimistic people live longer.

An American study published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that optimists had a greater chance of achieving "exceptional longevity" (so living to 85 and older).

This link between optimism and longevity held regardless of sex and other factors impacting health, including smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, diet, BMI and depression.

Ironically this could be good news for pessimists who wonder: "What's the point?", when everything is so horrible.

The middle ground between Pollyanna and Cassandra

I think a lot about optimism and pessimism. I've written numerous books that take a mostly optimistic approach to human nature and social change; sometimes my lack of cynicism and aversion to pessimism has caused me to ignore things and make conclusions that turn out to be flawed.

In my professional work as a researcher I am trying to find the right balance between optimism and pessimism.

In my own social and personal life I still err on the side of optimism, if only to be a role model for that approach to life to my children. There has to be a healthy middle ground between Pollyanna and Cassandra. Even when the Amazon is burning…

I've certainly noticed patterns in terms of optimism and pessimism in the social research work I do. There are some consistent ones.

Australians tend to be relatively optimistic about the short term, pessimistic about the long term.

Australians are more optimistic about themselves, their families, their jobs and the world around them. And when it comes to the country, the medium- and long-term future of our nation, they are more pessimistic.

And optimism falls away when they are asked to consider the global environment and the future of the planet.

These patterns have less to do with a clear-eyed assessment of the facts, and more to do with the fact that we are more likely to feel optimistic about things we feel we can control and understand.

When I think about the kinds of optimistic people — and determinedly pessimistic people — I've met over the years in my social research, my impression is that the usual demographic drivers that can influence attitudes and behaviours don't always play a big part.

Counting your blessings in the face of adversity

In my research I've not found women more optimistic than men, or poorer people more pessimistic than richer people, or people living in the city drinking from half-empty glasses compared to rural dwellers happily sipping from the cup half full.

In fact one of the most determined optimists I can recall encountering in my work was someone whose life circumstances would have made the most resilient of us fall in a heap.

She was a disability worker living in regional NSW, a single mum of seven kids (her husband had died of a heart attack when she was pregnant with their last baby), and soon-to-be grandmother.

She was sleeping in the bottom bunk of one of her daughter's beds as she had given up her bedroom to her eldest son and his partner as they were waiting for the birth of their child.

In the couple of hours I spent listening to her talk to her friends, I was impressed about the extent to which she was capable of counting her blessings and also her determination just to keep going, bit by bit each day.

One of the things that impressed me most was the way she organised all her kids, from the eldest to the youngest, to be involved in running the household, cooking and cleaning and various other domestic tasks. She had a schedule of tasks and each child would get their roster of responsibilities sent to their various devices.

She was doing her best every day but also thinking about the future.

"I need to train my boys to be able to do domestic stuff. I don't want some pissed-off girlfriend coming to my door in 10 years' time saying, 'Why didn't you teach him? He is useless'."

The house was full of noise and chaotic corners but it seemed full of warmth and happiness.

Finally, when I asked her what her ideal night to herself would look like, she had modest aspirations: "Bottle of red wine, bubble bath. Maybe I'll take out a recipe book and try something new. TV. My own bed."

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Pessimism is a skip and jump from despair

I met this woman years and years ago but her attitude to life is still a reference point for me. I channel her spirit at any moment when it looks like pessimism might find its way into my heart.

Just keep going. The fuel of optimism is action. Pessimism is a skip and a jump away from despair.

Browsing the internet, there are plenty of quotable quotes about optimism, well suited to be matched with an inspiring image and framed on the walls of a gym or corporate office. Everything from Dr King to Dr Suess.

But this quote from American historian and playwright Howard Zinn comes closest to my views about an optimism based on daily and consistent acts of hope:


