Eating right, exercising regularly, being blessed with good genes: all are thought to promote good health and a long life. Now, we can add being happy to the list.1
Happiness does not heal, but happiness protects against falling ill. As a result, happy people live longer. The size of the effect on longevity is comparable to that of smoking or not. This is concluded from an analysis of 30 follow-up studies published in a recent issue of the Journal of Happiness Studies.
First, who knew there was a Journal of Happiness Studies?
Second, always remember that a positive correlation isn’t the same as a causal relationship. In other words, we don’t know if being happy leads to a long life or if one of the benefits of a long life is happiness. Or, maybe there is something else – a character trait or biological predisposition – that is responsible for both longevity and happiness.
Too much happiness, however, could lead to poorer health.2 One theory is that people who are very happy may be too content to pay attention to the signs and symptoms that signal the beginning of a more serious illness.
Too little happiness and we become stressed out, angst ridden people; the negative effects of stress on health are well documented. Too much happiness and we take Bob Marley’s advice and don’t worry about health care and prevention.
The moral of the story is: All things in moderation.
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