Chuck Bryan

I mean, like optimists, one of the things that defines optimists is that they are undeterred in seeking their goals because they generally believe they're going to be successful.

Whether all odds are against it or not, doesn't matter.

They're just going to go and do their thing because they think it's going to be fine.

So that would include things like quitting smoking, exercising, eating right.

Having goals and then just working toward them is almost always aligned with better health and like having better health habits too.

So that would definitely explain one reason why they are probably healthier.

Yeah.

Yeah, there are some big caveats that Livia was keen to point out.

And in a lot of these studies, that sort of, you know, tie between being optimistic and having good health, it gets ticked down quite a bit when they look into the details of like someone's, I don't know, bank account.

And they're like, oh, well, yeah, this this person that's got loads of money.

Yeah, they're more optimistic.

And so, yeah, they're healthier because a lot of that just financial stress and all that stuff goes out the door.

And, you know, when you're stressed out about money like that may lead to like drinking more or starting smoking.

And so you really have to sort of caveat that to death, you know.

Yeah, and similarly, these studies are usually just taking a snapshot of what that person's like right then, right?

So you score very high on an optimistic, the life orientation test, right?

And you also say like, I don't smoke.

I eat five servings of vegetables every day.

It's not clear from that study.

They're correlated, but is it that people who eat better and don't smoke tend to have a more positive outlook?