Can Optimism Really Help You Live Longer? Science Says Yes

May 21

Written By Michele Edington (formerly Michele Gargiulo)

There are two kinds of people who make it to 85.

The first kind never expected to live that long and the second believed they would all along. (My husband and I firmly believe we’ll be making it that long).

This isn’t wishful thinking dressed up in wellness lingo that I’m telling you just coming out of my yoga class and sipping on some green juice. It’s biology, resilience, and decades of research screaming the same truth that optimism can help you live longer.
And I really don’t mean to just live either…I mean thrive.

What the Study Really Said

In a massive study conducted by Boston University and Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2019 and 2022), researchers followed over 150,000 people (some men and primarily women) across decades. They didn’t just track behaviors, they also tracked beliefs. What they found was staggering, but also not really surprising to me at all.

“People with the highest levels of optimism were 50-70% more likely to live past 85 than their less optimistic peers.”

These weren’t people with easier lives. In fact, many faced poverty, illness, and hardship, but the one uniting trait they shared was that they kept hoping anyway.

Let’s get nerdy for a moment, because you’re here so I’m assuming you don’t mind my nerdiness.

When you're optimistic, your body enters a state of what researchers call “parasympathetic dominance.”
Basically, your heart rate slows down, your digestion improves, and your immune system turns back on and is happy to go around catching potentially bad things.

It’s the opposite of stress, which keeps your body braced for danger, flooding your bloodstream with cortisol, and aging you cell by cell. Optimism literally reverses that. It’s linked to lower inflammation markers like IL-6 and C-reactive protein, better cholesterol ratios and cardiovascular health, an improved immune response, and faster recovery after illness or surgery. As if those things aren’t enough to convince you to try for a little more optimism, it’s also been linked to slower cognitive decline.

Optimism is like the internal signal for your brain that it’s safe to heal.

The Mindset That Moves Mountains

Optimistic people don’t avoid pain, in fact, they might encounter more of it because they’re happier to take some risks here and there. The difference is mostly that they just don’t unpack and live in it.

They still get bad news and they absolutely still fail at things they try. They still grieve when they lose someone important to them or a piece of themselves, but something in them says: this isn’t the end, this is a bend, and things will come back up for me.

That mindset can and does alter everything. They’re more likely to seek help when they need it, oddly enough they tend to eat better and exercise more, and not out of punishment, but hope. They bounce back faster…because they believe there’s something worth bouncing toward.

I have so many friends who are shockingly pessimistic and it made me wonder if you learn to be an optimist. According to the interwebs, the answer is yes, absolutely you can.

This is the best part of my whole article, so I do hope you made it this far in. Optimism isn’t something you have to be born with, it’s a learnable, trainable, and rewritable trait.

I’m going to recommend micro-journaling to start the process if you’re looking for help. At the end of each day, write down one good thing that happened, one thing you handled better than expected, and one hope for tomorrow.

It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be honest. Lying to yourself won’t get you anywhere.
This trains your brain to search for wins rather than L’s.

Support your nervous system more. Optimism can’t thrive in a body that feels constantly under siege and is always on high alert for the next attack. Your nervous system has to feel safe enough to believe in tomorrow.

Gaia Herbs Adrenal Health Daily Support
This herbal blend includes adaptogens like ashwagandha and holy basil that help your body recover from stress and promote emotional balance. Perfect for supporting the physical foundation of hope. I take it at night before bed.

Reframe things when they go wrong, don’t fake things. Like I said, lying to yourself isn’t helpful here. Toxic positivity says: everything is fine. True optimism says: everything is hard…and I still believe I’ll find a way.

Ask yourself what’s still possible? Is there something you can learn from where you’re at right now? What is it you’re looking forward to creating in the future. Giving yourself something to look forward to is one of my personal tips in life. I want to feel like I’m building happy anticipation for the future.

Our brains learn safety through repetition, so sometimes you can introduce sensory cues that tell your body it’s okay to hope again.
Moon Juice Magnesi-Om Magnesium Powder. This magnesium + L-theanine powder dissolves into a soothing nightly drink. It’s designed to calm the mind, relax the body, and help you release tension before bed…ideal for people retraining their nervous systems to trust life again.

Why Hope Feels So Radical Today

We’re living in the age of the doom scroll. Every day, we wake up and face a barrage of bad news…wars, wildfires, injustice, pandemics, political divides. Our nervous systems are marinated in fear and overwhelm all the time.

In this toxic environment, hope becomes a true act of rebellion against the systems that want you to panic and be overly emotional all the time. Don’t forget I believe the masses are controlled by their emotions, which is why everyone always tries to get you to stand on morally high grounds and be passionate about things that might not even be real.

Look at this world, fractured and broken, and find it in yourself to whisper “I believe we can heal”…that isn’t delusion. That’s courage with a dash of delusion…but I believe we all need delusion to accomplish anything great in life.

You don’t have to believe the world is okay, you just have to believe that you’re still capable of creating beauty within the mess around you. That’s what stretches your lifespan.

Your brain clings to worst-case scenarios because it’s trying to protect you. Your amygdala, a small almond-shaped part of your brain, is designed to detect threats. It stores emotional memories (especially painful ones) so you don’t repeat danger. Super helpful when you were trying to focus on where the man-eating-tiger lived instead of the pretty butterfly sitting on the flower, but less helpful today in a news-driven society.

The sad truth is that your brain doesn’t know the difference between a car crash and a missed deadline.
It floods your system with cortisol all the same.

That’s why we default to worry and why optimism feels foreign at first. But neuroplasticity (your brain’s ability to change!) means you can rewrite that default and bit by bit, you can teach your brain that hope is safe again.

Who Still Believes?

It’s fascinating to look at optimism across generations.

Baby Boomers were raised in post-war expansion, yet many still carry a sense of upward momentum…even if it’s waned.

Gen X tends to be skeptical, raised on latchkey independence and corporate collapse.

Millennials grew up on big dreams and big debt. Their optimism is cautious, hard-earned, and often ironic. (Me).

Gen Z? Surprisingly, they may be the most hopeful of all, because they have to be. Despite climate anxiety, economic instability, and social upheaval, Gen Z is redefining optimism as activism. They’re not waiting for hope, they’re building it.

Optimism is no longer personal, it’s generational resistance and a refusal to let cynicism win.

Sensory Self-Care to Anchor Hope

Optimism thrives when your body feels safe, that means choosing rituals that ground you.

Vitruvi “Still” Essential Oil is a calming blend of lavender that brings you back to your body in moments of overwhelm. Just don’t put it in your purse without making sure the lid is on tight. My bag still smells like it three months later (not really a bad thing I guess).

JALL Wake-Up Light Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock is helpful if you’re trying to wake up to simulated sunrise instead of anxiety. A soft start can change the tone of your entire day.

It’s Bigger Than Just You

Optimism is contagious.

When one person dares to hope (especially in the face of difficulty) it inspires something ancient in the people around them. It stirs up resilience and wakes up courage. Optimism is a flame passed hand to hand, and your flame might light someone else’s.

At the end of the day, optimism isn’t about ignoring darkness, it’s about choosing what direction to face in spite of it.

You can stare into the void, or you can turn toward the light, however small.