本文属阅读资料，没有听力
Optimism is good for the heart, a study said on Monday.
The most optimistic among a group of 545 Dutch men age 64 to 84 had a roughly 50 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death over 15 years of follow-up, according to the study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Previous research has suggested being optimistic boosts overall physical health and lowers the risk of death from all causes. A positive attitude also has been shown to help patients who suffer from heart disease caused by narrowed arteries.
The new study measured participants' level of optimism about their lives by having them respond to statements such as "I do not look forward to what lies ahead for me in the years to come" and "My days seem to be passing by slowly," or "I am still full of plans." "Optimism can be estimated easily and is stable over long periods," though it does tend to decrease with age, said lead researcher Erik Giltay of the Institute of Mental Health in Deft, the Netherlands.
On a scale of zero to three, with three being most optimistic, the average scores in the study fell from 1.5 in 1985 to 1.3 in 2000.
Higher scores were associated with being younger, being better educated, living with others, having better health, and doing more physical activity.
"It is yet to be established whether interventions aimed at improving an older individual's level of optimism may reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality," he added.
要想长寿先要乐观 积极生活态度对心脏有利
荷兰研究人员的一份最新研究报告表明，保持乐观的心态对人的心脏健康有好处。
据路透社2月27日报道，发表在美国最新一期《内科学文献》上的荷兰精神健康学会研究人员的这份报告指出，根据15年的随访，在64岁至84岁的545名荷兰人中，心态最乐观的人因心血管疾病而死亡的几率比其他人低50%左右。
此前的研究曾提出，心态乐观对人们的整个身体健康都有好处，并可以降低因各种原因而死亡的危险性。同时，积极的生活态度也被证实可以帮助那些因动脉窄小而引发心脏病的病人恢复健康。
在新的研究中，荷兰研究人员测试了研究对象对待生活的乐观程度，如让他们对“我不会去想在未来几年内出现在我面前的谎言有哪些”、“日子似乎过得很慢”和“我仍然有许多计划要去实施”这些生活话题做出反应。研究人员指出：“乐观的生活态度很容易判断出来，而且在长时间内保持稳定，不过它会随着年龄的增长而减少。”
报道说，这项测试的得分为0分至3分，其中得到3分的人被认为最乐观。平均得分在1985年为1.5，而在2000年降为1.3分。通常，年轻人和受教育程度高的人得分较高。同时，那些与他人一起生活、身体健康又爱好运动的人得分也较高。
研究人员说：“目前，研究人员正在试图增加孤寡老人对生活的乐观态度，以帮助他们降低因心血管疾病而死亡的危险。”
相关链接
站长信箱：ebigear@yahoo.com.cn 英语交流QQ群 捐助贫困儿童
