As a result of advances in medicine and increased longevity we are living longer and healthier lives. Ten years of ground breaking research has revealed that our lifestyle choices are actually more important than our genes, and optimistic beliefs and a positive perspective on aging can actually increase longevity!

Researchers are not quite clear as to why this is the case, but they suspect that people who employ a positive attitude tend to perceive stress differently, have better coping skills, and a stronger social support network, as compared to their negative counterparts. Hostility is believed to be the culprit as it may hamper the benefits that our social support systems provides, causing us to experience greater negativity or more frequent episodes of pessimism which in turn alters our physiology.

In short my friends, medical science has revealed that a negative attitude makes us sick, influences blood pressure and down stream negatively affects heart health.

What about you?

  • Do you see the glass as half full?
  • Do you find that you have a tendency of always seeing everything that is wrong with the world?

If so know that you are in good company. There are reasons that you may be preoccupied with finding the danger in your environment. Your brain is trying to protect you from threatening situations. The problem is that you are training your brain to focus on  challenges and dangers. Although looking for danger and pointing out all that is going wrong in your life, the world, or your spouse may have deep roots in brain science, it does not bode well for a happy life, good relationships, or longevity.

I challenge you to engage in the following research-tested exercise that boosts happiness, increases well-being and will help you rewire your brain.

1. List 3 positive things that occurred during your day.

These things can be as large as getting a clean bill of health from your doctor, or can be as small as finding a parking space when you are running 5 minutes late for that really important meeting.

Exercise parameters:

Try the exercise for at least a month.

Vary the things that you have on your list. You are trying to teach your brain to recognize new patterns which means that you have to force it to work to scan your environment and pick out the blessings in your life.

Don’t forget to drop us a line and let us know if it worked.