Two ticks for optimism.
Sigh. Election time. I’m over it already.
Political discourse is always so damn negative. I’ll take anything that’s anti culture war, and right now that’s optimism. I’ll always vote for optimism
And here’s why - anecdotally, the optimistic patients in the shop always seem to be the healthiest ones. They're the most interesting people in the place, they look bursting with energy, and they're seldom unwell. I always feel better after being around optimistic people.
Recently I had the pleasure of being a guest speaker at a cancer support group. When I asked, the coordinator, what topic she'd like, it was a pretty wide brief. So I picked the thing I'd been wondering about for years: does optimism actually make people healthier?
So I went looking. Here's what I found.
The research is a mixed bag. One study of head and neck cancer patients found that optimists were more likely to be alive a year later. But two separate studies of lung cancer patients found no link between optimism and survival.
Where the research is far more consistent is on how people feel. Optimistic cancer survivors report a better quality of life, and less depression, fatigue and distress. Even people with advanced cancer who remain optimistic about the life they have left report less anxiety.
I'm not going to lie, I was disappointed. I'd gone in hoping to say optimism keeps you healthy, and the research wasn't going to hand me that.
I was so hesitant to bring it up that right up to the last second I thought about changing topic. I had no idea how it would be received in a room full of people living with a cancer diagnosis.
But it turned into a great conversation, and I came away having learnt something profound.
Whether optimism helps us live longer is still up for debate. But what the research does suggest is that it helps us live better.
And in the end, isn't that just as important?
I've been thinking about that conversation ever since. And it's funny how often the same lesson applies in completely different circumstances.
Later that week we had a young intern pharmacist join us in the pharmacy for a couple of days. It's crunch time for these young superstars. Four years of university and a year as an intern all comes down to one final assessment centre weekend in Wellington.
My advice to her, straight from this research? Don't let the outcome consume you. Work hard, practise as much as you can, and trust the work you've already put in. Worrying about everyone's expectations won't make you a better pharmacist. But enjoying the challenge just might.
I feel like I owe it to the amazing people in that cancer support group to share what I learnt. They were brave, welcoming and willing to share their stories with me.
We can't always control what happens to us. But perhaps we can make the journey a little better by how we approach it.
Every three years we get to vote for our next government. But every day we get to vote on something arguably more important - how we choose to approach the world.
My vote? Optimism.
Andy and the team at Roslyn Pharmacy - Dunedins Friendliest Pharmacy