Sunny disposition ‘helps ward off anxiety and depression’
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By Paul Gallagher
Always look on the bright side of life, especially if you want to fend off depression, anxiety and panic disorders it seems.
Perseverance and a sunny disposition acts as a safeguard against mental health problems, according to a study of thousands of Americans over 18 years. Surprisingly, a sense of control did not have an effect on the mental health of participants across time, the research team found.
They used data from 3,294 adults with an average age of 45, nearly all were white and slightly fewer than half were college-educated. Data were collected three times, in 1995 to 1996, 2004 to 2005 and 2012 to 2013.
At each interval, participants were asked to rate their goal persistence, self-mastery and positive reappraisal. Diagnoses for major depressive, anxiety and panic disorders were also collected.
People who showed more goal persistence and optimism during the first assessment in the mid-1990s had greater reductions in depression, anxiety and panic disorders...
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