Cited by 161Optimism, Hope, and Well-beingTelomeres, Telomerase, and SenescenceAging and Gerontology Research

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Pessimism correlates with leukocyte telomere shortness and elevated interleukin-6 in post-menopausal women

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O’Donovan, A., Lin, J., Dhabhar, F.S., Wolkowitz, O., Tillie, J.M., Blackburn, E., Epel, E.·2009·Brain Behavior and Immunity

DOI 10.1016/j.bbi.2008.11.006PMC PMC2719778

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Abstract

The combination of less positive and more negative expectations for the future (i.e., lower optimism and higher pessimism) increases risk for disease and early mortality. We tested the possibility that expectancies might influence health outcomes by altering the rate of biological aging, specifically of the immune system (immunosenescence). However, no studies to date have examined associations between optimism or pessimism and indicators of immunosenescence such as leukocyte telomere length (TL) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. We investigated whether dispositional tendencies towards optimism and pessimism were associated with TL and IL-6 in a sample of 36 healthy post-menopausal women. Multiple regression analyses where optimism and pessimism were entered simultaneously, and chronological age and caregiver status were controlled, indicated that pessimism was independently associated with shorter TL (beta=-.68, p=.001) and higher IL-6 concentrations (beta=.50, p=.02). In contrast, optimism was not independently associated with either measure of immunosenescence. These findings suggest that dispositional pessimism may increase IL-6 and accelerate rate of telomere shortening. Mechanistic causal relationships between these parameters need to be investigated.

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Authors: O’Donovan, A., Lin, J., Dhabhar, F. S., Wolkowitz, O., Tillie, J. M., Blackburn, E., & Epel, E.
Affiliations: University College Dublin (IE)
University of California, San Francisco (US)
Stanford University (US)
Corresponding author: Epel, E.
ORCID: O’Donovan, A.
Lin, J.
Dhabhar, F.S.
Wolkowitz, O.
Blackburn, E.
Epel, E.
Venue: Brain Behavior and Immunity
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2009-05
Volume: 23
Issue: 4
Pages: 446-449
ISSN: 0889-1591 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2008.11.006
PMC: PMC2719778
OpenAlex: W2025357040
Cited by: 161
References: 33
Citations by year: 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 15
FWCI: 13.80
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
Locations: Brain Behavior and Immunity (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders: National Institute of Mental Health (K08MH064110)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Optimism, Hope, and Well-being
Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
Keywords: pessimism, optimism, leukocyte telomere length, telomere shortening, interleukin-6, immunosenescence, biological aging, postmenopausal women, health expectancy, caregiver status
MeSH terms: Affect, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Attitude, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Humans, Leukocytes, Middle Aged, Personality, Personality Inventory, Surveys and Questionnaires, Regression Analysis, Stress, Psychological, Health Behavior, Interleukin-6, Telomere, Caregivers, Patient Selection, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

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Pessimism correlates with leukocyte telomere shortness and elevated interleukin-6 in post-menopausal women

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