Optimism curbs stressors, boosts emotional well-being in older men

Growing evidence supports optimism as a health asset, yet how optimism influences well-being and health remains uncertain, researchers say. In a recent study, they looked at whether optimism serves as a buffer against stress or actually limits a person's exposure to daily stressors. They found that the latter is true: Optimistic older men tended to regulate their emotions in ways that allowed them to preserve emotional well-being by limiting their exposure to daily stresses or changing the way they perceived situations as being stressful - or not.