“Expect the worst and you’ll never be disappointed.” This is the motto some of us live by. But for patients with heart disease, this pessimistic view of life may ultimately raise their risk of death.

Share on Pinterest Researchers find that patients with CHD who have a ‘glass-half-empty’ attitude may be more likely to die from their condition.

In a new study published in the journal BMC Public Health, researchers found that patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) who were more pessimistic were more likely to die from their condition than those with lower levels of pessimism.

Interestingly, however, the research team – led by Dr. Mikko Pänkäläinen of Päijät-Häme Central Hospital in Finland – found that high levels of optimism did not protect patients against CHD mortality.

CHD – also known as coronary artery disease (CAD) – is the most common form of heart disease in the United States, responsible for more than 370,000 deaths every year.

CHD occurs when plaque gradually builds up in the walls of the coronary arteries, which supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart and other areas of the body. Over time, the heart muscle can weaken, causing arrhythmia – irregular heartbeat – and heart failure.

Previous studies have suggested pessimism – defined as a tendency to anticipate undesirable outcomes – can have negative implications for heart health compared with optimism.

Dr. Pänkäläinen and colleagues decided to explore this association further by looking at how pessimism and optimism independently affect mortality for patients with CHD.

“High levels of pessimism have previously been linked to factors that affect cardiac health, such as inflammation, but data on the connection between risk of death from CHD and optimism and pessimism as personality traits are relatively scarce,” Dr. Pänkäläinen notes.