Heart patients with an optimistic outlook are more likely to be healthier down the road and survive longer than those with less rosy views, new research suggests.

A study in Archives of Internal Medicine, out Monday, that followed 2,800 heart patients shows that those with more positive attitudes about their recovery had about a 30% greater chance of survival after 15 years than patients with pessimistic leanings.

Although other studies have looked at how long it was before patients returned to normal activities, this is the longest, largest study to track survival, says lead author John Barefoot, professor emeritus at Duke University2 Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

‘Our research shows better physical recovery and a higher likelihood of survival is linked to attitude - personal beliefs about their illness,’ Barefoot says.

For the study, researchers gave a questionnaire to cardiac patients with coronary artery disease at the time they were in the hospital receiving a diagnosis.

It asked their thoughts about recovery and returning to a normal lifestyle. They were asked to agree or disagree, for example, with statements such as these, Barefoot says: I expect my lifestyle will suffer; I can still live a long, healthy life; I doubt that I’ll ever fully recover.

The […]