Cultivating a positive
attitude is not only important for mental health but also physical health. According to the article by Yanek et al.
(2014), having positive emotions can be protective against coronary artery
disease (CAD). I found this to be an intriguing research study because we often learn that stress and negative emotions are risk factors for
CAD, but I never knew there were long-lasting physical benefits of having a
positive attitude. This study examined siblings
of individuals with premature CAD because this population is typically at a
higher risk of developing CAD. To measure
positive well-being they utilized The General Well-Being Schedule
(GWBS). This is a self-report questionnaire
which contains six psychological domains—anxiety, depression, somaticism,
vitality, life satisfaction, and emotional-behavior control. In both the general population and the high-risk
cohort, positive well-being had a protective effect on CAD after a 12-year
follow-up. The exact mechanism for how
positive well-being protects is still unknown, therefore more research is
needed.
A
New York Times article titled A Positive
Outlook May Be Good for Your Health also validates the physical benefits of
a positive attitude. The article states
a positive outlook has health benefits such as lower blood pressure, less heart
disease, better weight control, and healthier glucose levels. Dr. Wendy Schlessel Harpham faced 15 years of
cancer treatment and took specific measures to ensure she maintained a positive
attitude. She surrounded herself with
positive people, kept a daily gratitude journal, did things for others, and
watched comedy movies. Dr. Harpham is
now in remission, and she claimed that cultivating a positive attitude while
she was sick made her life better.
Whether our clients are faced with risk factors for a physical illness or stress
from a life-threatening illness, helping them foster a positive attitude can provide
innumerable benefits.
References:
Brody, J. E. (2017, March 27). A Positive Outlook May Be Good for Your Health. Retrieved January 28, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/27/well/live/positive-thinking-may-improve-health-and-extend-life.html
Yanek, L. R., Kral, B. G., Moy, T. F., Vaidya, D., Lazo, M., Becker, L. C., & Becker, D. M. (2013). Effect of Positive Well-Being on Incidence of Symptomatic Coronary Artery Disease. The American Journal of Cardiology, 112(8), 1120-1125. doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2013.05.055
