Mental toughness could be the key to a longer life.
Old people tend to be mentally tough
Scientists have found that people who remain stoic during difficult times are at significantly less risk of an early death.
Boffins at Sun Yat-Sen University in China studied the health records of over 10,000 Americans who had filled in a questionnaire about their psychological resilience.
People with the highest levels of resilience were 53 per cent less likely to die in the next decade than those in the lowest group.
It adds to evidence that resilience is beneficial for health as the characteristic has also been shown to prevent disease and chronic illnesses.
Dr. Yiqiang Zhan, author of the study, said: "Positive emotions may mitigate the negative impact of accumulated adversity on people's mental health.
"Various factors including meaning in life, positive emotions, self-rated health and satisfaction with social support, are potential influences on psychological resilience.
"Our findings underscore the potential effectiveness of promoting resilience."