Lexington, Kentucky, Too many complain there are no health benefits, even can make the body susceptible disease. Instead brave and optimistic attitude can increase the body's immune system so it is not easy sickly.Several studies have shown that psychological factors can affect one's health. Stress in the workplace and in married life, for example, can make a person susceptible bacteria.
People often complain usually be easily stress and stress is what will be the entrance to the disease because stress reduce immunity.
In a study conducted last year at the University of Kentucky, Prof. Suzanne Segerstrom compare the effect of optimistic and pessimistic attitude towards the immune system.
For this purpose, Prof. Segerstrom involving 124 first semester law students. The students were asked to fill out questionnaires about foresight in addressing the academic competition with other students on campus.
Students who are optimistic are not easily stressed when faced with competition, whereas students who often complain of feeling pessimistic and his friends are smarter than himself. Complaining and pessimistic attitude cause stress and other negative emotions such as low self-esteem.
Meanwhile, the student body's immune system is measured by injecting a fungus candida which has been shut into the skin tissue. The fungus was not dangerous it stimulates the immune system to fight in the form of swelling in the skin.
The results showed, students who are optimistic tend to have better immune systems than the pessimists. Although the effect of mental attitude on the immune system is actually quite small, Prof. Segerstrom judged significant.
"In numbers, its influence is only 19 percent. But that is greater than the effect of calcium supplementation on bone density that is 8 percent or effect of hypertension on the risk of stroke drug that only 3 percent," he said as quoted by MSNBC, Wednesday (12/1/2011.)