Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Optimism and its Relationship to Mental and Self-Rated Health: A Study of Aging Twins

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Behavior Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Optimism has been shown to be important in maintaining wellbeing into old age, but little is known about the sources of variation in optimism and its links to mental and somatic health. Optimism, mental, and self-rated health were measured in 3,053 twin individuals (501 MZF, 153 MZM, 274 DZF, 77 DZM, and 242 DZ opposite-sex twin pairs and 561 single twins) over 50 years using the life orientation test, the General Health Questionnaire and a single-item question for self-rated health. Additive genetic factors explained 36, 34, and 46% of the variation in optimism, mental, and self-rated health, respectively, with the remainder being due to non-shared environmental influences. Genetic influences accounted for most of the covariance between the variables (14–20% of the genetic variance) indicating that in older adults genes predisposing to high optimism also predispose to good mental health and self-rated health.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersson G (1996) The benefits of optimism: a meta-analytic review of the life orientation test. Personality Individ Differ 21(5):719–725

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antoni MH, Goodkin K (1988) Host moderator variables in the promotion of cervical neoplasia. 1. Personality facets. J Psychosom Res 32(3):327–338

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Atienza AA, Stephens MAP, Townsend AL (2002) Dispositional optimism, role-specific stress, and the well-being of adult daughter caregivers. Res Aging 24(2):193–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouchard TJ, McGue M (2003) Genetic and environmental influences on human psychological differences. J Neurobiol 54(1):4–45

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bowling A (2005) Measuring health: a review of quality of life measurement scales. Open University Press, Berks

  • Bucholz KK, Heath AC, Madden PAF, Slutske WS, Statham DJ, Dunne MP, Martin NG (1998) Drinking in an older population: cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the Australian twin registry. In: Gomberg ESL, Hegedus AM, Zucker RA (eds) Alcohol problems and aging. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, pp 41–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Carey G (2005) Cholesky problems. Behav Genet 35(5):653–665

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carver CS, Gaines JG (1987) Optimism, pessimism, and postpartum depression. Cognit Ther Res 11(4):449–462

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carver CS, Pozo C, Harris SD, Noriega V, Scheier MF, Robinson DS, Ketcham AS, Moffat FL, Clark KC (1993) How coping mediates the effect of optimism on distress—a study of women with early-stage breast-cancer. J Pers Soc Psychol 65(2):375–390

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carver CS, Smith RG, Antoni MH, Petronis VM, Weiss S, Derhagopian RP (2005) Optimistic personality and psychosocial well-being during treatment predict psychosocial well-being among long-term survivors of breast cancer. Health Psychol 24(5):508–516

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chang EC, D’Zurilla J, Maydeu-Olivares A (1994) Assessing the dimensionality of optimism and pessimism using a multimeasure approach. Cognit Ther Res 1214:3–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen K, Holm NV, McGue M, Corder L, Vaupel JW (1999) A Danish population-based twin study on general health in the elderly. J Aging Health 11(1):49–64

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cornes BK, Medland SE, Ferreira MAR, Morley KI, Duffy DL, Heijmans BT, Montgomery GW, Martin NG (2005) Sex-limited genome-wide linkage scan for body mass index in an unselected sample of 933 Australian twin families. Twin Res Hum Genet 8(6):616–632

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DeSalvo KB, Bloser N, Reynolds K, He J, Muntner P (2006) Mortality prediction with a single general self-rated health question. J Gen Intern Med 21(3):267–275

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgerald TE, Tennen H, Affleck G, Pransky GS (1993) The relative importance of dispositional optimism and control appraisals in quality-of-life after coronary-artery bypass-surgery. J Behav Med 16(1):25–43

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fontaine KR, Jones LC (1997) Self-esteem, optimism, and postpartum depression. J Clin Psychol 53(1):59–63

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fulker DW, Eysenck SBG, Zuckerman M (1980) A genetic and environmental-analysis of sensation seeking. J Res Pers 14(2):261–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giltay EJ, Geleijnse JM, Zitman FG, Hoekstra T, Schouten EG (2004) Dispositional optimism and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a prospective cohort of elderly Dutch men and women. Arch Gen Psychiatry 61(11):1126–1135

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Giltay EJ, Kamphuis MH, Kalmijn S, Zitman FG, Kromhout D (2006) Dispositional optimism and the risk of cardiovascular death—the zutphen elderly study. Arch Intern Med 166(4):431–436

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg DP, Williams P (1988) A user’s guide to the general health questionnaire. NFER-Nelson, Windsor

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris JR, Pedersen NL, McClearn GE, Plomin R, Nesselroade JR (1992) Age-differences in genetic and environmental-influences for health from the Swedish adoption twin study of aging. J Gerontol 47(3):P213–P220

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoekstra RA, Bartels M, Verweij CJH, Boomsma DI (2007) Heritability of autistic traits in the general population. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 161(4):372–377

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hopper JL (2002) The Australian twin registry. Twin Res 5(5):329–336

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jang KL, Livesley WJ, Ando J, Yamagata S, Suzuki A, Angleitner A, Ostendorf F, Riemann R, Spinath F (2006) Behavioral genetics of the higher-order factors of the Big Five. Personality Individ Differ 41(2):261–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson JE (1996) Coping with radiation therapy: optimism and the effect of preparatory interventions. Res Nurs Health 19(1):3–12

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kasriel J, Eaves L (1976) Zygosity of twins—further evidence on agreement between diagnosis by blood-groups and written questionnaires. J Biosoc Sci 8(3):263–266

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kendler KS, Neale MC, Kessler RC, Heath AC, Eaves LJ (1993) A test of the equal-environment assumption in twin studies of psychiatric-illness. Behav Genet 23(1):21–27

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • King KB, Rowe MA, Kimble LP, Zerwic JJ (1998) Optimism, coping, and long-term recovery from coronary artery surgery in women. Res Nurs Health 21(1):15–26

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig LB, McGue M, Krueger RF, Bouchard TJ (2007) Religiousness, antisocial behavior, and altruism: Genetic and environmental mediation. J Pers 75(2):265–290

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kubzansky LD, Sparrow D, Vokonas P, Kawachi I (2001) Is the glass half empty or half full? A prospective study of optimism and coronary heart disease in the normative aging study. Psychosom Med 63(6):910–916

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kupper N, Denollet J, De Geus EJC, Boomsma DI, Willemsen G (2007) Heritability of type-D personality. Psychosom Med 69(7):675–681

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leinonen R, Kaprio J, Jylha M, Tolvanen A, Koskenvuo M, Heikkinen E, Rantanen T (2005) Genetic influences underlying self-rated health in older female twins. J Am Geriatr Soc 53(6):1002–1007

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lichtenstein P, Pedersen NL (1995) Social relationships, stressful life events, and self-reported physical health—genetic and environmental-influences. Psychol Health 10(4):295–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loehlin JC (1992) Genes and environment in personality development. Sage Publications, Newberry Park, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg O, Manderbacka K (1996) Assessing reliability of a measure of self-rated health. Scand J Soc Med 24(3):218–224

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lykken DT, McGue M, Tellegen A (1987) Recruitment bias in twin research—the rule of 2/3 reconsidered. Behav Genet 17(4):343–362

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mahler HIM, Kulik JA (2000) Optimism, pessimism, and recovery from coronary artery bypass surgery: prediction of affect, pain, and functional status. Psychol Health Med 534:7–358

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall GN, Wortman CB, Kusulas JW, Hervig LK, Vickers RR (1992) Distinguishing optimism from pessimism: relations to fundamental dimensions of mood and personality. J Pers Soc Psychol 62:1067–1074

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin NG, Wilson SR (1982) Bias in the estimation of heritability from truncated samples of twins. Behav Genet 12(4):467–472

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maruta T (2000) Optimists vs pessimists: survival rate among medical patients over a 30-year period (vol 75, p 140, 2000). Mayo Clinic Proceedings 75(3):318–318

  • Maruta T, Colligan RC, Malinchoc M, Offord KP (2002) Optimism-pessimism assessed in the 1960s and self-reported health status 30 years later. Mayo Clin Proc 77(8):748–753

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews KA, Raikkonen K, Sutton-Tyrrell K, Kuller LH (2004) Optimistic attitudes protect against progression of carotid atherosclerosis in healthy middle-aged women. Psychosom Med 66(5):640–644

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mroczek DK, Spiro AIII, Aldwin CM, Ozer DJ, Bossé R (1993) Construct validation of optimism and pessimism in older men: findings from the normative aging study. Health Psychol 12:406–409

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neale MC, Eaves LJ (1993) Estimating and controlling for the effects of volunteer bias with pairs of relatives. Behav Genet 23(3):271–277

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neale MC, Maes HH (2004) Methodology for genetic studies of twins and families. Kluwer Academic Publishers B.V., Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Neale MC, Boker SM, Xie G, Maes HH (2002) Mx: statistical modelling. VA 23298: Department of Psychiatry., VCU Box 900126, Richmond

  • Nes LS, Segerstrom SC (2006) Dispositional optimism and coping: a meta-analytic review. Pers Soc Psychol Rev 10(3):235–251

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Park D, Gutchess A (2006) The cognitive neuroscience of aging and culture. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 15(3):105–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson C, Vaillant GE, Seligman MEP (1988) Pessimistic explanatory style is a risk factor for physical illness—a 35-year longitudinal-study. J Pers Soc Psychol 55(1):23–27

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Plomin R, Nesselroade JR (1990) Behavioral genetics and personality change. J Pers 58(1):191–220

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Plomin R, Scheier MF, Bergeman CS, Pedersen NL, Nesselroade JR, McClearn GE (1992) Optimism, pessimism and mental health: a twin/adoption analysis. Personality Individ Differ 13(8):921–930

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rasmussen HN, Wrosch C, Scheier MF, Carver CS (2006) Self-regulation processes and health: the importance of optimism and goal adjustment. J Pers 74(6):1721–1747

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rebollo I, Boomsma DI (2006a) Genetic analysis of anger: genetic dominance or competitive sibling interaction. Behav Genet 36(2):216–228

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rebollo I, Boomsma DI (2006b) Genetic and environmental influences on type a behavior pattern: evidence from twins and their parents in the Netherlands twin register. Psychosom Med 68(3):437–442

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rijsdijk FV, Snieder H, Ormel J, Sham P, Goldberg DP, Spector TD (2003) Genetic and environmental influences on psychological distress in the population: general health questionnaire analyses in UK twins. Psychol Med 33(5):793–801

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rini CK, Dunkel-Schetter C, Wadhwa PD, Sandman CA (1999) Psychological adaptation and birth outcomes: the role of personal resources, stress, and sociocultural context in pregnancy. Health Psychol 18(4):333–345

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Romeis JC, Scherrer JF, Xian H, Eisen SA, Bucholz K, Heath AC, Goldberg J, Lyons MJ, Henderson WG, True WR (2000) Heritability of self-reported health. Health Serv Res 35(5):995–1010

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roysamb E, Tambs K, Reichborn-Kjennerud T, Neale MC, Harris JR (2003) Happiness and health: environmental and genetic contributions to the relationship between subjective well-being, perceived health, and somatic illness. J Pers Soc Psychol 85(6):1136–1146

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier MF, Carver CS (1985) Optimism, coping, and health—assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychol 4(3):219–247

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier MF, Carver CS (1987) Dispositional optimism and physical well-being—the influence of generalized outcome expectancies on health. J Pers 55(2):169–210

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier MF, Carver CS (1992) Effects of optimism on psychological and physical well-being—theoretical overview and empirical update. Cognit Ther Res 16(2):201–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier MF, Carver CS (1993) On the power of positive thinking: the benefits of being optimistic. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 2:26–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier MF, Magovern GJ, Abbott RA, Matthews KA, Owens JF, Lefebvre RC, Carver CS (1989) Dispositional optimism and recovery from coronary-artery bypass-surgery—the beneficial-effects on physical and psychological well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol 57(6):1024–1040

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier MF, Carver CS, Bridges MW (1994) Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem)—a reevaluation of the life orientation test. J Pers Soc Psychol 67(6):1063–1078

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schulman P, Keith D, Seligman MEP (1993) Is optimism heritable? A study of twins. Behav Res Ther 31(6):569–574

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seligman MEP (1991) Learned optimism. Knopf, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligman MEP, Abramson LY, Semmel A, Baeyer CV (1979) Depressive attributional style. J Abnorm Psychol 88(3):242–247

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silventoinen K, Posthuma D, Lahelma E, Rose RJ, Kaprio J (2007) Genetic and environmental factors affecting self-rated health from age 16–25: a longitudinal study of Finnish twins. Behav Genet 37(2):326–333

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Svedberg P, Lichtenstein P, Pedersen NL (2001) Age and sex differences in genetic and environmental factors for self-rated health: a twin study. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 56(3):S171–S178

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Svedberg P, Gatz M, Lichtenstein P, Sandin S, Pedersen NL (2005) Self-rated health in a longitudinal perspective: a 9-year follow-up twin study. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 60(6):S331–S340

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taub JM (1998) Eysenck’s descriptive and biological theory of personality: a review of construct validity. Int J Neurosci 94(3–4):145–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor SE (1989) Positive illusions. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor SE, Kemeny ME, Aspinwall LG, Schneider SG, Rodriguez R, Herbert M (1992) Optimism, coping, psychological distress, and high-risk sexual-behavior among men at risk for acquired-immunodeficiency-syndrome (Aids). J Pers Soc Psychol 63(3):460–473

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trunzo JJ, Pinto BM (2003) Social support as a mediator of optimism and distress in breast cancer survivors. J Consult Clin Psychol 71(4):805–811

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yamagata S, Suzuki A, Ando J, Ono Y, Kijima N, Yoshimura K, Ostendorf F, Angleitner A, Riemann R, Spinath FM, Livesley WJ, Jang KL (2006) Is the genetic structure of human personality universal? A cross-cultural twin study from North America, Europe, and Asia. J Pers Soc Psychol 90(6):987–998

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support and funding for the Over-50 twin study by Mr. George Landers of Chania, Crete. We thank the ATR twins for participating, John Pearson for data management, Olivia Zheng, Ann Eldridge, Sue Mason, and Theresa Pangan for their work in administering the questionnaire and Meike Bartels for offering her support with the genetic analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Miriam A. Mosing.

Additional information

Edited by Deborah Finkel.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mosing, M.A., Zietsch, B.P., Shekar, S.N. et al. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Optimism and its Relationship to Mental and Self-Rated Health: A Study of Aging Twins. Behav Genet 39, 597–604 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-009-9287-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-009-9287-7

Keywords

Navigation