How does the way one thinks effect their health? Recent studies are showing that positive thoughts can lead to healthier lifestyles. The positive effects that exercise has on our bodies can almost be duplicated through having a positive outlook on life. “Helgeson and Fritz (1999) suggest that self-esteem and optimism may lower blood pressure and heart rate directly through neurpendocrine mechanisms and lead to a less abrupt change in heart rate and blood pressure during stress…” (qtd. Zaurtra 61-63, 73-77, 87-89). Basically when you keep yourself upbeat and thinking about the positive in situations you are able to lower you blood pressure and maintain it at a lower rate during the stressful times that you encounter. While positive emotions can help you handle stress psychologically with more ease it can also help you physically. Cohen, Doyle, Turner, Alper, and Skoner did a study to see how much more susceptible to the common cold people are with positive emotions compared to people with negative emotions. They contacted the participants a few times a week to ask whether they were feeling positive or negative emotions and asked them to use adjectives to describe their mood. After two weeks they gave all the participants nose drops with two types of rhinovirus and recorded their responses and antibody responses. One third of the participants got the flu. They found that the participants who had positive emotions the day before they came in contact with the virus were far less likely
