乐观情绪是最好的精神营养

Research shows that whether a person is an optimist or a pessimist is related to their quality of life, including their physical health. The subjects involved first took personality tests in the 1960’s and then thirty years later they completed a follow-up assessment of their health status. Researchers found that not only did the optimists from the 1960’s report better physical and mental functioning thirty years later, but that optimists also lived longer on average than pessimists.

研究发现，乐观或是悲观的生活态度关系到一个人的生活质量和身体健康。研究对象先是在20世纪60年代做了性格测试。30年之后，他们又参与了一次后续健康状况评估。研究人员发现，30年后，研究对象中，乐观主义者不但身心健康状况要好于悲观主义者，而且乐观主义者的平均寿命要比后者长。

It’s hardly clear that there is a causal relationship between optimism and health; it could be that they are related to the same underlying gene complex or set of mechanisms. Still, it sure is tempting to surmise that it’s partly your grandmother's positive attitude that has kept her alive this long. It may actually be possible that a lot of what my parents have been telling me for years is true. If you think positively, good things may happen to you. If you think negatively, then you may doom yourself.

乐观的生活态度与健康之间是否有着因果关系尚难明确；有可能是相同的潜在基因综合体或者是某种生理结构使之然。不过，可以顺理成章地推测，你的祖母之所以能活那么大岁数，部分原因在于，她有一个积极的生活态度。父母这么多年以来一直的言传身教实际上可能很多都是正确的。如果你用积极的态度去审视事物，可能会好事连连；如果你用消极的态度去审视事物，那你就置自己于一片灰暗之中了。

new words:

optimist:乐观主义者

pessimist:悲观主义者

causal:具有因果关系的

surmise:推测