Well, it looks like Eeyore, and to quote him, “thanks for noticing.” Why is this? A recent study has shown that there is a greater risk of breast cancer in women exposed to negative life events. Happiness and optimism may in fact play a role against this disease which is feared by all women. A research report was just published about this in the British journal called BMC Cancer—august 2008.
In this unusual study researchers questioned women about their life experiences and evaluated their levels of happiness, optimism, anxiety and depression prior to diagnosis. This included speaking with 622 women between the ages of 25 and 45; 255 were breast cancer survivors and 367 were healthy women who had never had breast cancer. The outcome was that young women exposed to two or more traumatic events had a 62% greater risk of getting breast cancer. That’s very significant.
So why did I use the analogy of Eeyore and Tigger? I’m a believer that how we approach a tragic situation varies based on our experience and personalities. What might have been really traumatic to one person may not have felt quite as shocking to another. It makes me think of the song, “Life is What You Make it.” – I love the version by Tony Bennett. A good song to teach our children so we can create young people filled with optimism and not choose the dark side of life. Their breasts will perhaps thank them later for it. |
