https://www.womenshealth.com.au/being-late-effect-on-stress-longevity?fbclid=IwAR2f7skI5KMJWpcg_icDpdTBL-uJa6WVacDUYJfSYlO1hlW43TWpB9-4bHw

People Who Are Chronically Late Live Longer, Study Says

Permission to dawdle, granted. - by Lucy Bode

• 01 FEB2019

There are two very different types of humans in this world.

The weirdos who’d rather die than arrive anywhere less than 10 minutes early. And those (*raises hand*) who enter every room looking a little like this:

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But according to a new report, chronic lateness is actually an extremely good trait to have – not just for the extra time you get to spend sleeping in/getting ready/generally faffing about – but for your mental and physical health.

Southern Living analysed a whole slew of studies and found a link between tardiness and living a successful, longer life. Put simply, stress is seriously bad for us, and people who are late tend to get themselves in a tizzy far less often than the rest of the population. A major benefit of this is that they have a lower risk of stroke, heart disease and high blood pressure. But they also have a more positive outlook on the world, too (i.e. they genuinely think they can cross off their entire to-do list and still make it to their destination on time.)

“Many late people tend to be both optimistic and unrealistic,” Diana DeLonzor, author of Never Be Late Again, explains.  

“They remember that single shining day 10 years ago when they really did all those things in 60 minutes flat and forget all the other times that everything took much, much longer.”

So, how does that affect a person’s life span so greatly, you ask? Allow scientists from Harvard Medical School to explain.

“Optimism helps people cope with disease and recover from surgery,” a recent study reads. “Even more impressive is the impact of a positive outlook on overall health and longevity. Research tells us that an optimistic outlook early in life can predict better health and a lower rate of death during follow-up periods of 15 to 40 years.”

Bottom line: we all need to embrace lateness and learn be more chill. Or at the very least, hit the snooze button more often.

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Lucy Bode

Lucy is WH’s Digital Editor, Features Writer, social media guru and resident woo. A long black lover and foodie at heart, she considers peanut butter an hourly staple and believes chardonnay is the superior drop. When she's not at the beach, barre or yoga studio you'll find her coming up with new and improved ways to kill her unkillable houseplants