Findings from a new study were presented at a recent meeting of the American Psychosomatic ( 身心的 ) Society. Researchers in the United States studied 100,000 women during an eight-year period, beginning in 1994. All of the women were fifty or older. The study was part of the Women’s Health Initiative organized by the National Institutes of Health. The women were asked questions measuring their beliefs or ideas about the future. The researchers attempted to identify each woman’s personality eight years after gathering the information. The study found that hopeful individuals were 14% less likely than other women to have died from any cause. The hopeful women were also 30 less likely to have died from heart disease after the eight years. Hilary Tindle from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania was the lead author of the report. She said the study confirmed earlier research that linked optimistic feelings to longer life. The researchers also gathered information about people’s education, financial earnings, physical activity and use of alcohol or cigarettes. Independent of those things, the findings still showed that optimists had less of a chance of dying during the eight-year period. Some women who answered the questions were found to be hostile ( 敌意的 ), or highly untrusting of others. These women were 16% more likely to die than the others. They also were 23% more likely to die of cancer. The study also found women who were not optimistic were more likely to smoke and have high blood pressure or diabetes. They were also more likely not to exercise. Tindle says the study did not confirm whether optimism leads to healthier choices, or if it actually affects a person’s physical health. She also says the study does not prove that negative ( 消极的 ) emotions or distrust lead to bad health effects and shorter life. Yet there does appear to be a link that calls for more research.