Optimistic people live 10-15% longer in better health than pessimists - here's why.
Let's unpack the importance of optimism in our daily lives. I was recently introduced to Dr. Sue Varma in a recent podcast episode of The Blonde Files, and I felt it was kismet that this topic would appear just as we revealed the first of two new products for Good Psyche launching March 15th. The first of these products, Sidekick, is a euphoric mouth spray made with an empathogenic succulent called Kanna. What makes it so special and unique, is that Kanna is known to elicit feelings of joy, connection, and optimism.
Dr. Varma's approach to optimism is a realistic, practical one. She defines it as the ability to perceive a positive outcome in the face of adversity, and taking action to turn it into a positive outcome. This is distinctly different than the association with optimism as seeing the world through rose-colored glasses or the extreme version, toxic positivity.
Interestingly, not everybody is predisposed to being optimistic. In fact, there is a genetic component to what makes some people more optimistic than others, and it's based on an oxytocin receptor gene. However, the "optimism gene" only accounts for 25% of the equation. The other 75% is learned, which is good news for those of us who tend to veer into pessimistic territory.
Personally, I have battled mental health conditions since puberty, the effects of which have rendered me a fairly pessimistic person. Chronic pessimism is more sinister than we recognize. Pessimism can take years off of your life, cause chronic illness, excess inflammation in the body, memory lapse, and neurodegenerative disease. Not only that, but pessimism about a situation often leads to hopelessness or catastrophizing of events that haven't happened yet.
In my constant quest to improve my mental fortitude and bolster my "emotional immune system," as Dr. Varma puts it, I discovered one medicinal plant in particular that actually made me feel a sense of hopefulness, excitement, and optimism. It's called Kanna, and it's one of two star ingredients in our product Sidekick, launching March 15th.
You can read more about this fascinating entheogenic plant in my blog post about Kanna here.
Need a daily dose of optimism? We can all use a Sidekick. Get yours.
Check out Dr. Varma's book, Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being
Stay curious