Six hundred and eighty-one randomly selected adults aged 18 to 75 years were interviewed about their perceived health status and their dispositional optimism—the generalized expectation that good versus bad outcomes will occur in one's life. It was found that whichever way dispositional optimism was measured—whether as a single- or two-factor model—the construct was positively associated with perceived health. It is recommended that health educators and other health practitioners incorporate into their daily activities the finding of a positive relationship between dispositional optimism and perceived health in the general population and encourage people to maintain a positive outlook on life so as to improve their perceived health status and ultimately their actual health.
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