CAN PERFECTIONISM BE DEADLY?

PSI Researcher Henry Reed, PhD reports that when Canadian researchers interviewed more than 400 senior citizens and then followed them for over six years, they found that certain character traits had a significant effect on mortality. According to the report of their study published in Journal of Health Psychology, those seniors who reported “a strong motivation to be perfect” and revealed a tendency toward “all-or-nothing thinking” had a 50 per cent greater chance of dying during the subsequent six years than those without such perfectionist tendencies. The only thing more deadly was tension. Those seniors who reported feeling tense most of the time had twice the mortality of those seniors who reported feeling relaxed most of the time.

On the other hand, being conscientious, outgoing, and optimistic significantly reduced mortality. So relax and write letters to editors instead, count your blessings and smile often.

Henry Reed is an author, lecturer, psychologist, and teacher who lives in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, and submits reports regularly in “Venture Inward,” 215 67th Street, Virginia Beach, Va. 23451-2061, or e-mail:letters@edgarcayce.org.