Prince Bhojwani never thought of himself as a negative person, until three trips to the hospital in one month forced him to reconsider.
Before May 2018, he was a healthy but chronically worried start-up founder who regularly did 20-mile (32-kilometer) bike rides. When he suddenly became barely able to walk, with blurry vision and spiking blood pressure, emergency room doctors suspected a stroke, but couldn't pinpoint the cause of his illness.
A close friend, however — ''one of the most optimistic people I know,'' he said — pointed out Bhojwani often lacked faith that things would work out, and suggested that had pushed him to burn out.
''I started looking at the world very differently, literally the next day,'' said Bhojwani, who lives in New York City. He started meditating and taking a moment every morning to feel grateful to be alive. He also found purpose by co-founding a nonprofit, Asana Voices, a South Asian advocacy organization.
In the years since, he hasn't had any similar health crises, despite working longer hours. He credits his newfound positive outlook.
''After there was a life-changing event, it kind of forced me to become optimistic,'' he said. ''I can't even imagine living life the way I did back then.''
Optimism in itself is hardly a cure-all, but numerous studies over the decades have demonstrated a link between a positive outlook and good health outcomes.
A longer, healthier life?