研究者Elise Kalokerinos表示，尽管事实上人们经常会觉得最近生活很让人不爽，然而往往老年人会比年轻人更加积极向上；这项研究中研究者主要研究了正面积极情绪可以帮助老年个体增强其机体健康。文章中研究人员对年龄在65至90岁的50名个体进行长达2年的研究。
研究人员给参与者展示一些正面和负面的照片，随后让他们回忆，同时对参与者进行血液检测来测定其机体的免疫功能，结果显示，相比回忆负面图片的个体来讲，回忆正面图片的个体机体往往具有较强的免疫功能。通过选择性地回忆一些正面的图像，老年个体似乎表现出在其最需要它们的时候会增强机体的免疫功能。如今我们都知道快乐会改善个体的健康，而研究证明关注一些积极正面的信息也具有同样的效果。
一个人如果关注正面的东西大于负面的东西，那么其往往会更好地处理一些压力，会对其后期的生活、工作带来一定的帮助，而且会更加促进其进行社交活动等。本文研究中研究者还指出，人类或许会慢慢进化出的一种积极正面的能力来增强机体免疫系统，变得长寿。
原文报道：
A positive attitude can improve your immune system and may help you live longer， according to a University of Queensland study.
The research， published in Psychology and Aging has found that older people who focused on positive information were more likely to have stronger immune systems.
Lead researcher Dr Elise Kalokerinos， from UQ's School of Psychology， said a positive attitude played an important role in healthy ageing.
"Despite the fact that people often think of late life as a period of doom and gloom， older people are often more positive than younger people，" Dr Kalokerinos said.
"Our research suggests that this focus on the positive may help older people protect their declining health."
The study involved following 50 adults， aged 65-90 years， across two years.
Participants were shown a series of positive and negative photos， which they were later asked to recall， and their immune function was also measured through a series of blood tests.
Dr Kalokerinos said participants who remembered more positive than negative images also showed better immune functioning up to two years later.
"Participants who recalled more positive than negative images had antibodies in their blood suggesting stronger immune systems than those of their counterparts， who did not show this positivity in memory，" she said.
"By selectively remembering the positive， older adults seem to boost their immune functioning just when they need it the most.
"We already know that happiness provides a range of health benefits and this research shows that focusing on positive information may have the same effect for older people.
"A person who focuses on positive information over negative information may be better able to cope with stressful situations， may take a more positive long-term outlook on life， and may maintain positive social interactions， thus reaping the immune benefits.
"These findings raise the possibility that humans have evolved to become more positive late in life in order to enhance their own longevity."
