This article presents the development and validation of two new measures of psychological well-being: the Comprehensive Inventory of Thriving (CIT) and the Brief Inventory of Thriving (BIT). These measures were developed to measure a broad range of psychological well-being constructs and represent a holistic view of positive functioning, as well as to predict important health outcomes.
Health—whether psychological or physical—is characterized not just by the absence of disease but increasingly by the presence of well-being. These researchers looked at the relationship between psychological well-being (marked by optimism, happiness, and life purpose) and serum antioxidants such as carotenoids and Vitamin E, which are indicators of physical health.
Positive psychological well-being, especially optimism, protects against the incidence, and somewhat against the progression, of cardiovascular disease through a broad array of mechanisms, according to this extensive literature review.