If you want to live longer, you better get tough — mentally.
That’s the reveal of a more than decadelong study from China’s Sun Yat-sen University. Just published in BMJ Mental Health, the scientists say the key to a longer life is how psychologically resilient a person is.
In fact, being able to weather life’s problems can greatly cut your risk of dying at a younger age — even if you’re not a physically fit person, say the researchers.
For the most resilient folks, that reduction was as high as 53%.
For more than 11 years, scientists tracked the health of 10,000 Americans aged 50 and older who participated in the Health and Retirement Study, which ran from 2006 through 2008.
The researchers found that those who had psychological resilience — that is the “ability to cope with and adapt to challenging life circumstances and events” — had a reduced risk of dying from anything, even adjusting for age, race, sex and body mass index.
This was true even for those who had health conditions like diabetes, were out of shape or smoked, the researchers found.
Mentally tough people handled stress well and tended to have a positive outlook on life. They also had a “sense of purpose” that others didn’t.
While it’s not exactly known why such an outcome was found, the researchers believe dealing with stress was a biggie — as those who don’t handle it well can see their blood pressure rise, and an increase risk of heart problems.
Even if you’re a “glass is half empty” type naturally, you can learn to boost your mental resilience through meditation and mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy and even starting a gratitude journal — and the scientists say their findings prove teaching people to be mentally tough is a worthwhile prescription.