The best reason yet for being a grumpy old man:
Older people blighted by pessimism and fear for the future are more likely to live longer, according to scientists.
A study, into 40,000 adults across ten years, has found those with low expectations for a “satisfying future” actually led healthier lives.
In contrast, people who were “overly optimistic” about the days ahead had a greater risk of disability or death within ten years.
The extraordinary research, published by the American Psychological Association, will not doubt prove comfort to anyone with a tendency to grumpiness.
Frieder R. Lang, lead author of the study from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, said: “Our findings revealed that being overly optimistic in predicting a better future was associated with a greater risk of disability and death within the following decade.
So, live long and lament, I guess. At first, this seems a little counterintuitive -- "Don't worry, be happy" has always sounded like pretty good advice to me. But it makes a certain amount of sense in a weird way. Pessimists probably live more carefully, and optimists always have to contend with the bitter pill of unmet expectations. I should know. Hell, I ought to be practically immortal. And hating every minute of it, of course.
