If you’ve ever told your child to look on the bright side, or taught them to see the glass as half full, you might wonder if there are real benefits to positive thinking.
As it turns out, people who are more optimistic about their future actually tend to be significantly healthier. Many studies show that optimistic adults have better cardiovascular health, less disease and can even live longer than their less optimistic peers. As scientists interested in personality and health across the lifespan, we were curious about whether these same benefits are found for kids and teenagers. The answer from our new review study? Keep the positive thinking coming!
