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Before you switch on the Kardashian (future-speak for ‘TV’), hold on for just one second there pal. Research from America says that having a good old ‘sense of purpose’ is good for our health. So maybe it’s time to hop on the bad foot and do some good for once. As if your life depends on it.
Who came up with this tomfoolery you say? Well researchers from the University of Michigan studied a group of 7,000 people over the age of 50 for about five years and discovered that those with the most optimism for life, aka, the biggest ‘sense of purpose’ (we’ll call it SOP, for added emo effect), were actually more than 70% less likely to suffer from strokes.
That is a lot less likely if you ask me.
Head wise-guy, Eric Kim, who is the clinical psychologist who came up with the study, said SOP-pily: ”The effect of optimism remained significant even after fully adjusting for a comprehensive set of sociodemographic, behavioral, biological, and psychological stroke risk factors.” He added that the ‘common theme’ tying together the studies in the research is that: “optimism has a positive impact on physical health.”
If you care about your health then, it pays to care about others in our book. Of course having a sense of purpose means different things to different people. It could mean rising to the top of your company to become a director in the next five years. It could mean going to every West Ham football game ever. It could also mean never missing an episode of the Kardashians. But to us, having a SOP means giving.
SOP is understanding that we’re not just on earth to procreate. Well technically-speaking aside. We’re on this earth to help each other, because we have evolved to think, empathise and communicate. Upgrade your SOP and raise a smile or two on your own face (and many others’) by giving to charity, being kind and doing good.
Plus, seeing as being optimistic means you’re less likely to have a stroke, if you don’t give to charity there’s only one thing for it. Smile or die.
Inspired? Search and give to kindness causes now.
Photo by Photodeus
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Filed under: Culture, Mind, Science Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
