Learning to maintain an optimistic attitude does more than just keep you from sinking into depression. It can actually improve your physical health. This is the conclusion of a controlled study conducted by University of Pennsylvania researchers Martin Seligman, Ph.D., and Gregory Buchanan, Ph.D.
The research suggests that cognitive coping skills can lead to fewer adverse physical problems. It also encourages people to take a more active role in maintaining their own health.
The study focused on incoming university freshmen. These students were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to reflect their overall attitudes and coping behaviors. Based on these responses, Seligman and Buchanan identified the students who scored as the most pessimistic. These students were then randomly assigned to one of two groups.
One group attended a 16-hour workshop. The other served as a control group and received no special intervention.
What Workshop Participants Learned
The workshop was not just a pep talk. Participants were taught how to dispute their chronic negative thoughts. They also learned social and work skills that can help avert depression. The goal was to give them tools to manage their mental landscape.
The control group did not receive this instruction. This setup allowed the researchers to compare outcomes based on a specific intervention.
Findings on Depression and Anxiety
The researchers followed up with the students after 18 months. They used blind clinical diagnosis to assess mental health outcomes. The results showed a significant difference between the groups.
Only 22 percent of the workshop participants had suffered from moderate or severe depression. In contrast, 32 percent of the control group subjects experienced the same level of depression.
Anxiety disorders also showed a marked difference. Just 7 percent of the workshop participants suffered from a moderate or severe anxiety disorder. That number jumped to 15 percent in the control group.
Physical Health Implications
The benefits extended beyond mental health. Workshop participants reported fewer health problems during the course of the study. They were also more likely than control subjects to see a physician for maintenance or checkups. They did not wait until they became ill to seek care.
This shift in behavior is notable. The subjects were young and generally healthy. Yet, their approach to preventive care differed significantly from those who did not receive the cognitive training.
Buchanan speculated that this study could be replicated using older, more vulnerable subjects. The implications for long-term health maintenance are substantial. If cognitive skills can drive better preventive care in college students, the effect might be even more pronounced in aging populations.
The link between mindset and biology is complex. But this study provides concrete evidence that changing how we think can change how we feel and how our bodies respond. It is not a magic cure. It is a skill set. And like any skill, it can be learned.
