A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found high levels of optimism were associated with longer life and greater odds of living beyond age 90.

The study of nearly 160,000 U.S. women found that healthy lifestyle factors, such as the quality of diet, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and alcohol consumption, accounted for less than a fourth of the association between longevity and optimism

“Although optimism itself may be patterned by social structural factors, our findings suggest that the benefits of optimism for longevity may hold across racial and ethnic groups,” said lead author Hayami Koga, a postdoctoral student at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in a statement.

“Optimism may be an important target of intervention for longevity across diverse groups,” Koga added.

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