By identifying which patients were alive 30 years later, the researchers were able to study pessimism as a risk factor for early death. The researchers compared the expected life span with actual survival rates and found that the optimistic group's observed survival was significantly better than expected. Age and sex were factored into the results. The researchers said they could not definitively explain how pessimism acts as a risk factor for early death. It could be through the mind.
Optimists are less likely to develop depression and learned helplessness.
The best news of all is that there's still hope for pessimists because they can change.