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CBS Evening News: Will Thinking Positively Help The Economy Rebound?

This interesting article contains a video regarding optimism in the downturn. Click on "external source" for complete article.

March 13, 2009 |
by Steve Hartman

Despite constant news reports of a declining economy and dwindling financial markets, Steve Hartman meets several optimists who say that remaining hopeful will

(CBS) By now we've all heard that the sky has fallen, which is why CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman couldn't believe the results of a CBS News/ New York Times poll taken before this week's Wall Street rally. It asked, “Do you think the economy is getting better or worse?” You could also pick “staying the same.”

Most Americans - 51 percent - thought the economy was getting worse. Only 8 percent thought it was getting better, while 40 percent thought it was staying the same. Hartman wondered: What the heck were these Pollyannas thinking?

To find out, he called one back to arrange an interview.

"Enjoy this beautiful winter day," the answering machine instructed.

It was actually cold and rainy. But inside - this proud member of the 8 percent was waiting for Hartman's visit with juice and homemade lemon meringue pie - and pure, unbridled optimism.

His name is Mark Jastrzembski. He’s unmarried and a retired corrections officer.

"The president talked about hope. I've taken that to the next step. Hope means that you want stuff to happen. Faith means you know it's going to happen. I'm a 100 percent certain that things are going to get better in this country," Jastrzembski said.

He lives in Muskegon, Mich. - which makes his survey answer all the more confounding.

"I look around, you know, I'm not blind,” he said. “I have 10 to 15 close friends who got laid off."

Fortunately, Jastrzembski said he doesn't need to see hope to believe things are getting better. In fact, quite the opposite - he thinks we need to believe it to see it.

“The problem with the country is that we're not feeling good about ourselves," he said.

There are others like him.

Hartman met Michael Seltzer at a local meeting of the Muskegon Optimists Club. He’s in charge of all the Optimist clubs in Michigan. He's also recently unemployed.

"There's something known as a self-fulfilling prophesy, and attitude is a big part of that self-fulfilling prophesy,” Seltzer said. “And if everybody you talk to says the economy is getting worse, they can make that happen.”

It's true. Economists call it a feedback loop. When people are pessimistic they do less spending and investing. Less spending and investing makes the economy gets worse. A worse economy makes people even more pessimistic, and so on. Does that mean if we could all somehow just believe the economy is getting better that all of a sudden it would? The answer seems to be yes. And no.

Actor and economic commentator Ben Stein says the problem is -- for people who don't think America has the right economic plan -- it's very hard for them to just pretend. To which Jastrzembski says, please, at least try.

"What can we as individual people do to get this economy going? We've got to change this philosophy, change this attitude, start thinking positively," Jastrzembski said.

That may or may not help - but there is new evidence this week that optimistic people are, indeed, more likely to see their 401(k)s make a comeback. Because, as this new study shows -- they live longer.

Labels: CBS news, longevity, optimism, Steve Hartman, the economy

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Friday, November 28, 2008

Six (Medical) Reasons to Be Thankful

Six (Medical) Reasons to Be Thankful

When you thank your friends and family this holiday season, the reasons to do so may extend beyond good manners. Study after study has shown that social connections - through family, friends, or even with companion animals - seem to pay off in terms of good health, longevity and even prolonged survival among patients with very serious diseases. Some evidence linking good health with strong ties to family and friends includes:

1. The immune system's natural killer cell activity is negatively affected by three "distress indicators" - one of which is lack of social support.
2. One study of 75 medical students found that those who were lonely had more sluggish natural killer cells than students who weren't.
3. Research has shown that people who have companion animals have less illness than people who do not. Companion animals’ owners also recover from serious illness faster.
4. Susceptibility to heart attacks appears to correlate with how often people use the words "I," "me," and "mine" in casual speech.
5. And believe it or not, studies show that people who get out and spend more time with others during cold and flu season actually get fewer episodes of colds or flu than those who choose to be alone.
6. Being grateful for what you have has been associated with physical and emotional health.

Labels: Dr Andrew Weil, family, friends, gratitude, health, longevity

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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Oldest Americans More in Sync with Modern Times Than Many Think

Centenarians credit longevity to 'Faith' over genes, medical care

April 3, 2007 – Centenarians – those who have attained age 100 – are more in tune with current trends than many assume. One out of three has watched a TV reality show and almost that many have watched music videos, according to the second annual survey by Evercare. As was found in the first survey last year, the oldest Americans attribute their longevity to faith and spiritual care more than genes or medical care.

The second annual “Evercare 100 @ 100 Survey” polled one hundred Americans turning 100 and older this year about their practices and habits and found that, contrary to some conventional stereotypes, centenarians are staying in tune with the times.

Like the rest of Americans, they are following current trends like reality television, video games and iPods, worrying about health and diet, and keeping up on news and current events.

“As Americans strive for healthier, longer lives, the ‘Evercare 100 at 100 Survey’ provides us with a prescription for longevity from those who have aged successfully, and finds that tuning in to trends and current events, leading healthy lifestyles and holding faith and spirituality in high regard are key themes,” said Dr. John Mach, CEO of Evercare.

“We conduct this annual survey because Evercare is constantly striving towards a better understanding of the oldest Americans so that we may continue to provide the kind of care that keeps people healthy and independent for as long as possible.”

Evercare, one of the nation’s largest care coordination programs for people who have chronic or advanced illness, are older or have disabilities, first surveyed centenarians in 2006 to provide insight into one of the fastest-growing segments of the population.

Since Evercare serves more than 1,000 centenarians, the Company conducts this annual survey to better understand them so it can continue to anticipate their needs. The anecdotal survey is meant to provide a cultural snapshot of the lives and lifestyles of Americans who achieve and surpass the 100-year-old milestone by remaining active and independent.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are nearly 80,000 centenarians in the United States, and that number is projected to increase seven-fold, to 580,000, by 2040.

The survey found that two-thirds of centenarians are concentrated in just ten states. Twelve percent live in Texas, 11 percent in Ohio, 8 percent in New York, 7 percent in California and Michigan, 5 percent in Florida, and 4 percent each in Alabama, Minnesota, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Edith Jansky, an Evercare enrollee in Cambridge, MA, attributes her longevity to a positive outlook. “If you are happy you can live longer I think, and I am happy… To tell you the truth, I would not want to be anywhere else but here,” she said. “I have seen so much, I don’t think there would be much more that I could see or hear.”

Among the key findings of the 2007 “Evercare 100 @ 100 Survey”:

Keeping up with trends and current events.

? “I want my MTV.” When it comes to entertainment, the survey found that nearly a third (31 percent) have watched a reality TV show and 27 percent have watched MTV or music videos. Nearly a quarter of centenarians have purchased a music CD, and one in seven has played a video game.

? Sorry, Oprah, Johnny is still king. When polled on their favorite TV talk show host, Johnny Carson topped the list with 14 percent of the votes – more than double those for Oprah Winfrey (6 percent). But, one centenarian did say of Oprah, “I used to watch her every blessed day, I think she is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful person. I think she is very kind too. I think she does a lot for charity… that must be wonderful to have someone give you a beautiful new car [that] you didn’t have to work for.”

? Some centenarians have even tried the latest technology. Six percent said they have been on the Internet and four percent said they have listened to music on an iPod.

? Advertisers take note: Although 18- to 49-year olds may be a coveted demographic, sixty-eight percent of centenarians polled also turn to the TV for news and current events, while 40 percent turn to newspapers, a change from fifty years ago when newspapers (56 percent) and radio (45 percent) were their primary sources of news.

Maintaining the brain is important, and marriage makes for beautiful memories.

? Given the choice, centenarians voted for having a better memory (34 percent) over less aches and pains (27 percent) or taking fewer prescription drugs (13 percent). Their favorite memory in the last 100 years? Twenty-eight percent said their wedding day followed by a tie for the birth of a child and their 100th birthday (both at 13 percent).

One adventurous centenarian felt his best memory was “when I learned to fly at age 76.”

Answering to a higher power.

? Centenarians trust their spiritual leader the most to tell the truth, with more than one in three (34 percent) saying they believe a priest, rabbi or preacher is the person most likely to tell the truth when given a choice that included their doctor or nurse (28 percent) and a police officer (8 percent).

This trust in clergy echoes the results of last year’s survey, which revealed that the oldest Americans attribute their longevity to faith and spiritual care more than genes or medical care.

Labels: Centenarians, Evercare 100 at 100 Survey, faith, longevity, marriage, memories, spirituality, technology