People remembering their past with negative memories are more likely to fall ill, suggests a study.

According to the University of Granada's study, people's attitude to the past, present and future influenced the perception they had of their health as well as their quality of life, the Daily Mail reported.

Those who looked back in anger found it harder to make an effort in their daily tasks and were also more likely to perceive pain.

Co-author Cristian Oyanadel, said: "We have observed that when people are negative about past events in their life, they also have a pessimist or fatalistic attitude towards current events."

"This generates greater problems in their relationships and these people present worse quality of life indicators."

The researchers assessed 50 people -- 25 women and 25 men aged between 20 and 70 from a randomised sample, using questionnaires and time orientation tests