Why Optimistic People Live Longer, and Other Surprising Discoveries of the Month

Here's one way of seeing things: Bummer, summer is almost over.

Here's another: Something great is coming next!

That's not just a matter of perspective — as you'll see below, it's also a matter of health. And it's why I love writing this monthly series that I call "Look What We Found!", where I round up five amazing new discoveries that can expand our world. (Here was the previous edition.)

I hope to remind us that, no matter what we've done or what we know, there is always so much more to discover.

So what did humanity learn this month? Let's go!

1. Optimistic People Live Longer, According to Harvard Study

Credit via Getty Images / Oscar Wong

Are you an optimist? Here's something else to feel good about...

Harvard researchers examined data of more than 150,000 women and showed that "the 25% who were the most optimistic were likely to have a 5.4% longer lifespan and a 10% greater likelihood of living beyond 90 years than the 25% who were the least optimistic," the school reported. This was regardless of race, ethnicity, and demographics.

Why is this? That requires further study, but researchers suspect that optimistic people may take better care of themselves. That should give us all something to think about.

“We tend to focus on the negative risk factors that affect our health,” said lead author Hayami K. Koga, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in a statement. “It is also important to think about the positive resources, such as optimism, that may be beneficial to our health, especially if we see that these benefits are seen across racial and ethnic groups.”

2. See Jupiter Like We've Never Seen It Before

Credit via NASA

Jupiter is called the king of our solar system — a gas giant whose mass is more than twice all other planets combined. But we've never gotten an ultra-clear look at the king, because... well, it's 378.55 million miles away.

But now, we can see every little blemish on the king's crazy face.

The Washington Post shares how NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently captured remarkable photos of Jupiter using a special camera with infrared filters. Because infrared light is invisible to human eyes, the Webb data was then processed into images by a citizen scientist, Judy Schmidt.

“We hadn’t really expected it to be this good, to be honest,” said planetary astronomer Imke de Pater in a statement. “It’s really remarkable that we can see details on Jupiter together with its rings, tiny satellites, and even galaxies in one image.”

Oh, and see that big spot? That's Jupiter's renowned Great Red Spot, which actually appears white in these photographs. It's an gigantic storm — much larger than Earth — and has been raging on Jupiter for hundreds of years.

3. The Right Font Can Help You Read 35% Faster

Credit via University of Central Florida

Do you have a favorite font? Mine is Calibri.

As it turns out, this isn't just a geeky preference. It's a key to reading faster.

University of Central Florida researchers discovered that different fonts help different people read up to 35% faster. There's no magic font for everyone — this is a matter of finding the right font for each individual person.

“This research shows that we should start looking at fonts the way we look at reading glasses,” said study co-author and director of UCF's Readability Consortium, Ben Sawyer, in a statement. “With the right font, we can reshape how an individual sees text to help them read faster."

So what's the right font for you? People weren't always sure, researchers found — and your favorite font might not be the one that helps you read the best.

This online test can help you find your most readable font.

4. Three Minutes of Art Can Improve How You Feel

Credit via Getty Images / Sean Gladwell

We already know that art can make us feel better. Studies have confirmed the benefits of walking around museums and galleries.

But... can online art make us feel better too?

That's what a new study by the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics investigated. They wanted to know if online art can impact an individual's mood, stress and well-being.

To figure this out, researchers asked participants to view online art via computers, smartphones, and tablets. The participants' psychological states and well-being were measured before and after the viewing.

Their research concluded that even three-minutes of an online or digital art space can create significant positive effects on negative mood, anxiety, loneliness, and subjective well-being.

That's a pretty powerful finding. The next time you're stuck in a stressful place like the DMV, don't open Twitter — instead, open an online gallery and lose yourself in something positive. At least for three minutes.

5. This Is What A Black Hole Sounds Like

Credit via Getty / Science Photo Library / Mark Garlick

A black hole is nothingness — a region of space where gravity is so strong, nothing can escape. Not even light.

But as it turns out, nothingness still makes a sound. And now we can hear it — because earlier this week, NASA shared an audio clip.

How is this possible? NASA explained on Twitter:

The misconception that there is no sound in space originates because most space is a ~vacuum, providing no way for sound waves to travel. A galaxy cluster has so much gas that we've picked up actual sound.

Ready to hear it? Click here.

Can This Book Help You Live Longer?

My new book comes out about a week, and it's been getting some incredible feedback. Here's an especially relevant one that I'm excited to share, from Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Marc Andreessen.

As we now know from this newsletter, optimism helps us live longer! Does that mean my book helps you live longer? I will not be submitting that claim to the FDA, but feel free to assume the best.

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Cover credit: Getty / JLPH