Small Things Count

[I guess I’ll have to stop trying to calm down my anxious and neurotic friends. According to a London study, they’re healthier and will live longer than me! — Thanks to Linda Younts for sending this to me.]

 

From “Calling all Clean Freaks….”:

If you’ve always seen yourself as a Monica Geller, George Costanza, Miranda Hobbes, Sheldon Cooper or Danny Tanner, we have news for you: Science says you might live longer than your laid-back, Uncle Jesse and Phoebe-esque friends.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and University College London recently studied a group of 500,000 U.K. residents, paying attention to those who identified themselves as being exceptionally nervous or anxious. In general, these neurotic people tended to be healthier and have a longer life span, especially if they perceived their own health as being fair or poor.

The theory? Because neurotic people tend to think their health is poor even when it isn’t, they’re more likely to visit a doctor and be proactive if they notice any strange symptoms. A more laid-back person might postpone getting checked out, or ignore an illness altogether. But not you, neurotic folks. You’re running to get checked out as soon as the office opens.

Nice work, anxious friends. We’ll see you in the waiting room.

Read the report itself here.