BU Study Suggests Being Optimistic May Improve Your Emotional Well-Being

BOSTON (CBS) - "Don't worry, be happy." A new local study finds that being optimistic may improve your emotional well-being by limiting how often you experience stressful situations.

Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine had 233 older men fill out questionnaires about their daily stressors and their positive or negative moods over eight years.

They found that those who were more optimistic were less likely to report a negative mood, were more likely to report a positive mood, and said they had fewer stressors in general, like chores or conflict with others.

It may not be that these individuals experience fewer stressors but may be less likely to interpret them as stressful or approach them more constructively.