Happiness Is Literally Good for Your Health

by WiredBerries Editors — January 8, 2008

If only doctors could prescribe happiness, that would be some powerful medicine. New research suggests that a happy heart is a healthier one as well. A recent study of nearly 3,000 healthy British adults, lead by Dr. Andrew Steptoe of University College London, found that those who reported upbeat moods had lower levels of cortisol -- a "stress" hormone that, when chronically elevated, may contribute to high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, and dampened immune function, among other problems.

In the study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, women who reported more positive emotions had lower blood levels of two proteins that indicate widespread inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation is believed to contribute to a range of ills over time, including heart disease and cancer.

Researchers have long noted that happier people tend to be in better health than those who are persistently stressed, hostile, or pessimistic. But the reasons are still being studied. One possibility is that happier people lead more healthful lifestyles, but not all studies have found this to be the case, explained Steptoe. "We have therefore been searching for more direct biological links between positive states and health," he told Reuters Health.

The current findings, according to Steptoe, add to evidence that happiness and other positive emotions are "associated with biological responses that are health-protective."
But if happier people are healthier people, the more difficult question remains: How do you become happier? That a matter up for debate.

"What we do know," Steptoe noted, "is that people's mood states are not just a matter of heredity, but depend on our social relationships and fulfillment in life. We need to help people to recognize the things that make them feel good and truly satisfied with their lives, so that they spend more time doing these things."