Happy People/Healthy People

OK, this study (courtesy of the London Telegraph) was performed in the UK, so it's possible that Happy British people are healthier than their unhappy British counterparts. But the results of the study square with what I learned during the course of getting my Bachelor's degree in Psychology--particularly in the Adulthood and Aging class. Our Aging professor lived for research, especially when that research involved trying to find ways to extend not only life, but vibrant, healthy life.

From the studies we looked at, we learned that optimists live longer than pessimists. People who see themselves as having some control over their lives live longer than people who see their lives as entirely outside of their control.

In the famous Nun's Study (link here), they researched a group of nuns in one convent who had grown old together. The researchers had, in the nuns, a common environment and lifestyle, which allowed them to find correlations to longevity (and Alzheimer's, but that's another story) that aren't as easy to find in the general population. What they found was that those nuns whose entrance essays (written at an average age of 22) used positive emotional words were the ones who lived longer. As the study article states, "Taking into account that nuns are less likely to engage in behaviors that are health risks such as excessive drinking and smoking, the authors agree that this may be part of why they lived a long life. But, they argue that 'the phenomenon represented by the use of positive emotion words in early adulthood writings did add years to their lives.'"

The thing that's different about the UK study is that it looked at the subjects over the course of a day, not over the course of a lifetime. The researchers apparently checked the various hormone levels of the subjects as the subjects reported their emotional states.

The Telegraph reports, "The main chemical difference in those who were generally happy was the lower amount of the chemical plasma fibrinogen in the blood, a major predictor of cardiovascular disease risk.

"The happier subjects also had lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone related to conditions such as type II diabetes and hypertension. Happy men also had lower heart rates throughout the day and evening, suggesting good cardiovascular health."

This study is encouraging to me because my parents, especially my father, are generally happy people, and so am I. Looks like we just might live forever. I hope you do too.