Optimism Can Enhance Your Long-Term Health

Optimism Can Enhance Your Long-Term Health: Participating in religious or spiritual activities can also keep your brain humming along more smoothly. Being spiritual or religious can also perk up your mental outlook. British researchers found seniors with chronic diseases who attend religious services or who pray on their own showed a greater level of optimism about their overall health than those who did not.

You don't necessarily have to leave your house or attend formal religious services for your brain to soak up the benefits of spirituality, however. The concentration and focus required to pray anywhere — in your home, your car, or your shower — and to live a life that's in line with your spiritual beliefs, is really what has the most positive influence on your brain over the long term.