Citation
Richman, Laura Smart; Kubzansky, Laura D.; Maselko, Joanna; Kawachi, Ichiro; Choo, Peter; & Bauer, Mark S. (2005). Positive Emotion and Health: Going beyond the Negative. Health Psychology, 24(4), 422-429.Abstract
This study examined the relationships between positive emotions and health. Two positive emotions were considered, hope and curiosity, in conjunction with 3 physician-diagnosed disease outcomes: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory tract infections. Medical data were abstracted over a 2-year period from 1,041 patient records from a multispecialty medical practice, and emotions were assessed through a mailed questionnaire. Across 3 disease outcomes, higher levels of hope were associated with a decreased likelihood of having or developing a disease. Higher levels of curiosity were also associated with decreased likelihood of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Results suggest that positive emotion may play a protective role in the development of disease.URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.24.4.422Reference Type
Journal ArticleYear Published
2005Journal Title
Health PsychologyAuthor(s)
Richman, Laura SmartKubzansky, Laura D.
Maselko, Joanna
Kawachi, Ichiro
Choo, Peter
Bauer, Mark S.