Cheer up, it might never happen. At least, it might not happen for a very long time. New research from a study of more than 100,000 American women over the age of 50 shows optimists lead longer, healthier lives.

As part of the Women’s Health Initiative study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found women over 50 were 14 per cent less likely to die than pessimists and 30 per cent less likely to die from heart disease over an eight-year period. They also discovered that optimists were less likely to smoke, be diabetic or have high blood pressure. Women who were “cynically hostile” or highly mistrustful of others were 16 per cent more likely to die during the same period.

A second recent study, conducted at Boston University and focusing on families with exceptional longevity, found that people who live to 100 are likely to be extrovert and unlikely to be neurotic. Centenarian women are also likely to score highly on tests for “agreeableness”.

So does this research ring true in an Irish context? Anne Dempsey, the communications and PR officer with Senior Help Line, says the research findings tally with the experience of Senior Help Line and its sister organisation, the Third Age Foundation.

“Members of the Third Age Foundation tell us how much it means to be out and about – to have somewhere to come to meet friends and neighbours, to remain connected to the community, and also to become involved in various challenges and projects, which help foster feelings of self-esteem and well-being.”

Dempsey cites the Fáilte Isteach initiative, in which older people give classes in conversational English to non-Irish nationals, as an excellent example of a project in which all involved benefit and receive a psychological boost from taking part.

In a few years, we may have academic backing for the “optimists live longer” theory in Ireland, too. The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (Tilda), which began in November 2006, is studying the health, social and economic circumstances of more than 8,000 older Irish people over a 10-year period. According to Prof Hannah McGee, the chair of the department of psychology at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and a member of Tilda’s steering committee, “both the perceptions of ageing by the individual and mental health will be thoroughly assessed”.

According to McGee: “Research shows ‘use it or lose it’ is the motto for physical, mental and social well-being. Stay physically active. Use your brain: read, do crosswords, debate – whatever exercises your mental capacity – and keep engaged socially by building and maintaining hobbies and networks of friends and family.”

Martina Mullin of Go for Life, an Age & Opportunity initiative funded by the Irish Sports Council, emphasises the strong link between physical activity and positive mental health. “People who are ‘connected’ [belong to social clubs, have internet access and so on] are more likely to be physically active,” she says.

Stay positive and keep active is also the message from Active Retirement Ireland, a national network focusing on social networking, which has 463 local associations and 23,000 members over the age of 50.

“Our members are evidence that being active does give a better quality of life and, in many instances, a longer life,” says Maureen Kavanagh, CEO of Active Retirement Ireland.