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It's an age-old adage, but looking on the bright side of life can be good for your health, scientists said, the Daily Mail reports.

Adopting a positive mental attitude lowers the risk of suffering a heart attack, requiring surgery and even death.

That is according to a new study by a group of scientists at University College London.

The research found after suffering a heart attack or angina, the most pessimistic patients were twice as likely to suffer a more serious health condition in the next four years, compared with the most optimistic patients.

These conditions include a more severe heart attack, heart surgery or death.

Led by British Heart Foundation professor Andrew Steptoe, the team noted their findings could be linked to a number of physical and psychological impacts of being optimistic.

Half of the most pessimistic patients who smoked were still smoking one year after going into hospital.

In contrast, 85 per cent of the optimistic smokers had quit their habit entirely, a year on.

Smoking has long been known to be a major risk factor for heart attack and angina, with an estimated 22,000 deaths each year from cardiovascular disease linked to smoking.