Ashima Sharda Mahindra • 05 Sep 2024
Emotional Toughness Reduces Your Risk Of Death By Half; Know The Benefits of Strong Mental Health
A strong mental health boosts your physical health as well
If you are mentally tough, you may live longer, says a new study strongly advocating that strong mental health can boost your physical health as well. Experts from Sun Yat-Sen University in China found emotional resilience can halve your risk of an early death.
According to researchers, those who roll with life’s punches and cope well during hard times or after losing loved ones tend to be healthier in all physical parameters.
Strong mental health is beneficial in the long run
Emotional toughness helps stave off mental health issues like depression, loneliness, and anxiety - known to shorten your lifespan. “Positive emotions may mitigate the negative impact of accumulated adversity on people’s mental health,” said Study author Dr. Yiqiang Zhan.
The research, published in the journal BMJ Mental Health, used data from 10,569 people from the United States over the age of 50 years. It used a questionnaire to score the psychological resilience of men and women and then compared it to their physical health.
Toughest people more than 50 per cent unlikely to pass young
According to researchers, there was a significant association, and higher scorers after analyzing the data lived longer. The least resilient people were 53 per cent less likely to survive for another ten years than the most resilient. According to Dr. Zhan, a strong mindset reduces the self-rated impact of disability or illness on people’s lives and thereby slows premature ageing.
How does strong mental health improve your life?
Various studies have regularly found links between good mental health and longer life. Strong mental health can improve your life in many ways, including:
Help cope with stress
If you are strong and resilient, you can deal with the stresses of life easily, like changes, fears, and losses
Build lasting relationships
A good mental health helps you form and maintain healthy relationships with others
Learning and working well
Sound mental health helps you learn, work well, and realize your abilities to the fullest
Makes you productive
Those with strong mental health are more likely to be productive and work more efficiently
Contributing to community
Mental health helps you make meaningful contributions to your community and thrive
Improves quality of life
A strong and sound mental health helps improve the quality of your life
Being physically healthy
Strong mental health helps you be physically healthy
Is mental toughness genetic?
According to Dr. Zhan, mental toughness can be affected by people’s sex, genetics, and hormones and can change over time with circumstances. “Various factors including meaning in life, positive emotions, self-rated health, and satisfaction with social support, are potential influences on psychological resilience,” he said.
“Our findings underscore the potential effectiveness of promoting resilience.”
Other lifestyle habits that help you live longer
A few lifestyle habits that help you live longer, include:
Exercise
Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week, including walking, dancing, yoga or running
Eat well
Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
Maintain a healthy weight
A body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 is considered healthy. Try balancing diet and exercise to overcome extra weight and obesity.
Stop smoking and drinking
Quitting smoking and drinking reduces your risk of lung cancer, heart disease, liver diseases, and many other illnesses including kidney issues and heart troubles – thereby extending your lifespan
Get enough sleep
The CDC recommends at least seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.
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