Study proves that happy people live longer and are healthier

The phrase “there is no better medicine than a smile” is heard so often that it may even sound trite. However, there are so many benefits that good humor and joy bring to life that wishing someone happiness can be much more than a sentimental wish. Currently, several professionals are willing to show that smiling is a true therapy, capable of healing not only our emotions, but also our body.

O awesome.club loves science and will show, in this post, what exactly the studies that correlate happiness with longevity say. And, of course, it will give tips on what to do to live longer, with joy and quality of life.

A study conducted by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York (USA) interviewed 243 adults over 97 years old in order to detect whether any personality trait had an impact on their good health and longevity. According to one of the doctors responsible for the research, a large part of their initial hypotheses was based on the fact that centenarians would be characterized by a melancholic personality. However, after the interviews, the opposite of what was supposed was discovered: the elderly had extroverted, optimistic and tolerant personalities.

According to scientists, one of the main traits of these people was not the pursuit of happiness at any cost, but a positive attitude towards adversity and an active behavior, always willing to continue learning without putting age as a barrier. “When we assessed the personalities of these 243 centenarians, we found qualities that clearly reflect a positive attitude towards life. (…) they consider laughter an important part of existence and have a wide range of contacts. They express their emotions openly instead of hiding them,” the researchers emphasized.

One of the researchers’ conclusions was that “genetic aspects of personality may play an important role in good health and exceptional longevity.”

A study by the prestigious University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom, with people aged over 60 concluded that the higher the level of happiness, the lower the risks of short-term mortality. To reach this conclusion, the scientists interviewed more than 4,000 seniors who were assessed on health and lifestyle variables. The researchers also emphasized the social lives of these people, checking, for example, if they felt lonely and if they had a large number of loved ones. The research demonstrated, with scientific data, something that we already see in everyday life: those who are happy live longer.

“The results indicate that even small increases in happiness can be beneficial for the longevity of the elderly”, adds Rahul Malhotra, head of the Center for Research and Education on Aging at Duke-NUS Medical School, in Singapore, responsible for another study in relation to to the same theme.

“Our study’s findings, along with previous ones demonstrating ways to improve happiness, have implications for older people and policymakers struggling to increase life expectancy,” say the Oxford researchers. They concluded that greater importance should be given to the creation of laws that help to promote the links between people and activities that, in some way, help people to be happier.

On an individual level, the researchers highlight the importance of participating in activities that promote psychological well-being and that help to have a daily focus on the “good” things that happen during the day. Therefore, in our everyday life, we can find small moments of happiness and celebrate them. These joys, as simple as they are, can result, up front, in a few more years of life.

What situations or activities make you happy? Leave in the comments what optimistic phrase you would say to someone to brighten their day.