According to a 2006 article, a 23-year study by Yale and Miami Universities demonstrated that people over the age of 50 who exhibited a more positive perspective on life and took a more proactive approach to living also lived 7.5 years longer than those who were pessimists. Recent studies have found that an optimist lives 12 years longer than a pessimist. In addition, those with a more positive outlook also have incidences of heart disease and heart attacks, and some studies have even suggested that optimists experience less pain, recover faster from surgeries, and have more energy. Regardless of the exact details of their longevity, there is no question that optimists have more fun!