Category Archives: Chapter 5

Catastrophic Thinking: The Fates of Chicken Littles

Chapter 4 and 5

Chapter 4 mainly discussed the relationship between happiness and longevity. Surprisingly, the authors found that individuals who were more optimistic tended to live shorter lives. However, children that grew up in a more serious manner lived longer healthier lives. I … Continue reading

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Ch. 4 and Ch. 5

Chapter 4 regarded how optimism correlates to longevity and the results really surprised me.  While chapter 5 told us that catastrophizing and too much worrying was strongly correlated to a shorter lifespan, optimism wasn’t shown to lead to a longer, … Continue reading

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Chapter 4 and 5

The main points of chapters 4 and 5 were quite contrasting. One of the most shocking findings in Chapter 4 was that those who were more staid and calm lived longer than people who are cheerful and optimistic. Part of … Continue reading

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Chapters 4 & 5

My late grandfather’s favorite words to tell his grandchildren were: “Smile. You’ll live longer.” Having heard this my entire life, I was surprised by reading that optimism didn’t directly correlate to health or longevity. Optimism is a concept that is … Continue reading

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A Depressing Contradiction

To begin with, I believe that Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 contradict themselves. In Chapter 4, the researchers claim that those that are more optimistic than their somber peers die sooner. Then, in the following chapter, they claim that those that … Continue reading

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