Optimistic feelings have generally been thought to potentially have positive effects on peoples’ lives as well as give them a good quality of life. If you were to ask Americans today if they believed that optimism and a person’s mood have a dramatic affect on the recovery of one’s health, they would most likely agree. There have been multiple studies conducted that have, in fact, confirmed that optimism actually has a great impact on a person’s health. Unfortunately, the majority of these studies that have show that optimism does have an impact on mental and/or physical health have all be directed to mainly younger people. More specifically, these studies have been conducted with emphasis towards young people from their teen years to the middle years. Little to no studies has actually been done to show the effects of optimism on the older adults. If you were to consider the aging population and the growth that has taken place in Geriatrics (the medical practice that address the complex needs of older patients.), there should be a higher focus on this age group. “Comparative Risk and Perceived Control: Implications for Psychological and Physical Well-Being Among Older Adults” is an article that was written by five authors who conducted studies with people within the age group of 85-98. Even though this age group was quite up there, studying this age group provided a great example of why people within this age bracket could remain relatively healthy while younger people may not be as healthy.
31 men and 58 women were all considered within this group. This group had multiple characteristics. 27% of the group was married, and the remaining 73% were not. All of the single, divorced, separated, and widowed were all considered “unmarried.” Together, the group had obtained an average of 10.33 years of education. They all were asked that on a range of 1 to 5, 1 being poor and 5 being excellent, they had to rate their overall satisfaction level of life. The average of...