Study Finds A Link Between Mental Resilience And Longer Life

A recent study has discovered that having strong mental resilience to cope and adapt to life’s challenges is associated with increased longevity. This link remained statistically significant even among individuals with diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and hypertension. The researchers also noted that this relationship persisted after adjusting for smoking and other health-related behaviors.

The study, conducted by researchers in Sweden and China, analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study, which is a representative sample of adults aged 50 and above in the United States. Over 10,000 Americans were evaluated based on their psychological resilience, and their data was followed for a period of 12 years.

The findings revealed that individuals with higher psychological resilience scores had a lower risk of all-cause mortality. Both males and females scored similarly in terms of resilience, with those scoring the highest having an impressive 84 percent probability of surviving for 10 years. In contrast, individuals with the lowest scores had a 61 percent probability of surviving for the same period.

In addition, the study highlighted that positive acceptance of change, a fundamental aspect of psychological resilience, was associated with lower overall mortality and reduced risk of all-cause and cardiovascular death among older participants.

Previous research has already linked psychological resilience with improved biological health, although this relationship has not been extensively explored. The authors mentioned studies that suggest a potential association between psychological resilience and epigenetic clocks, which are alterations to DNA that indicate the aging process. These studies suggest that individuals with higher resilience may experience slower aging at the molecular level.

Another important aspect of psychological resilience is having a sense of purpose, as previous research has shown. This sense of purpose has also been associated with improved longevity.

Based on the findings, the authors suggest that activities and interventions aimed at improving psychological resilience might have the potential to reduce all-cause mortality.