New York : People with a positive psychological state such as those who are enthusiastic or interested are likely to develop long-term healthy habits that are important for lowering the risk of heart disease, says a new study, reports IANS.
Over the course of five years, researchers tracked more than 1,000 patients with coronary heart disease.
The researchers found that patients who reported higher positive psychological states were more likely to be physically active, sleep better and take their heart medications and were also less likely to smoke, compared to patients with lower levels of positive states.
“Negative emotions and depression are known to have harmful effects on health, but it is less clear how positive emotions might be health-protective,” said Nancy Sin, postdoctoral fellow at Pennsylvania State University in the US.
“We found that positive emotions are associated with a range of long-term health habits, which are important for reducing
the risk of future heart problems and death,” Sin noted.
