Positive emotion and health: going beyond the negative. |
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Authors: | Laura Smart Richman Laura Kubzansky Joanna Maselko Ichiro Kawachi Peter Choo Mark Bauer |
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Institution: | Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA, USA. lrichman@duke.edu |
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Abstract: | This study examined the relationships between positive emotions and health. Two positive emotions were considered, hope and curiosity, in conjunction with 3 physician-diagnosed disease outcomes: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory tract infections. Medical data were abstracted over a 2-year period from 1,041 patient records from a multispecialty medical practice, and emotions were assessed through a mailed questionnaire. Across 3 disease outcomes, higher levels of hope were associated with a decreased likelihood of having or developing a disease. Higher levels of curiosity were also associated with decreased likelihood of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Results suggest that positive emotion may play a protective role in the development of disease. |
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