Is the Glass Half Empty?

-"Study: The Health Benefits of Pessimism"
-March 1, 2013, Los Angeles Times
-Monte Morin
-http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-pessimism-benefits-20130301,0,6108812.story
People have always said that they should be optimistic and look at the glass half full, rather than to be pessimistic and look at the glass half empty. However, a German study shows that those who have a better outlook on life, have their life end about ten years before those who have a negative outlook on life. They surveyed about forty thousand Germans between the ages of eighteen and ninety six, every year for ten years from 1993 until 2003. The younger group overestimated their success and health in their life, while the middle age group was closer to knowing their lives would not be as great as they thought. The elder group had a better life than they thought they would have, but the pessimists had less of the chance to suffer with disabilities or early death. One of the authors of Psychology and Aging said "We found that from early to late adulthood, individuals adapt their anticipations of future life satisfaction from optimistic, to accurate to pessimistic...Pessimistic accuracy appears to be linked with preserved functional health and better chances to survive".