Happiness Is A Consequence of Choice

It's the opposite of a vicious cycle: Healthy people
might be happier, and a new study shows that people
who are happy and satisfied with their lives might be
healthier.

Moreover, the benefit comes with a quick turnaround
time, with greater happiness possibly boosting
health in as little as three years.

"Everything else being equal, if you are happy and
satisfied with your life now, you are more likely
to be healthy in the future. Importantly, our
results are independent of several factors that
impact on health, such as smoking, physical activity,
alcohol consumption and age," said lead author
Mohammad Siahpush, Ph.D.

Siahpush is a professor of health promotion at the
University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The
study appears in the September/October issue of the
American Journal of Health Promotion.

The researchers looked at data from two waves of an
Australian survey conducted in 2001 and 2004. Nearly
10,000 adults responded to items about health
indicators including the presence of long-term,
limiting health conditions and physical health. They
used the question, "During the past four weeks, have
you been a happy person?" to assess happiness.
They determined satisfaction with life by asking:
"All things considered, how satisfied are you with
your life?"

"We found strong evidence that both happiness and
life satisfaction have an effect on our indicators
of health," Siahpush said.

Happiness and life satisfaction at the baseline
survey were both associated with (1) excellent,
good or very good health; (2) the absence of long-term,
limiting health concerns and (3) higher levels of
physical health three years later.

In addition, the results suggested that improving
happiness or life satisfaction might also result in
better future health.

"There are indications that as you become happier
and more satisfied with your life, you tend to
become healthier as well," Siahpush said.

According to Dr. Robert O. Young, a research
scientist at The pH Miracle Living Center, "when
you live an alkaline lifestyle and diet you feel
better and when you feel better you think better
and when you think better you do better - you
are indeed happier. I truly believe that
happiness is something that you do not something
that you get - it is a consequence of choice."