If there is one thing among the lot that humankind deems so essential in life, Happiness can never be overlooked. Everyone yearns for Happiness. We expect good work, cars, houses, fame, money, and marriage to bring us Happiness. But when we can achieve what we want, it begins to wane. We lose interest in them. Happiness is fleeting, especially for those who seek money, cars, house, and phone. When we are not able to achieve this, we become unfulfilled.
Why bother about Happiness? Happiness has more health benefits than we can think. It is, therefore, essential to find Happiness in whatever situation we find ourselves in. Kira M. Newman, the managing editor of Greater Good, explains the health benefits of Happiness in an article.
- Happiness protects your heart
Imagine you hear such bad news and how your stomach, heart, or chest begins to feel. Again think about it when you receive good news. Research has uncovered the link between Happiness and the measure of the heart. Happiness has been shown to protect the heart. Scientists have performed several experiments among happy people and those who were not. The studies over time revealed that those who were delighted had their heart risk lowered. People were studied over the years, and it was realized that patients who expressed positive emotions like joy, Happiness, excitement, enthusiasm, and contentment were less likely to develop coronary heart disease. In fact, for each one-point increase in positive emotions they had expressed, their heart disease risk was 22 percent lower.
- Happiness strengthens your immune system
Do you know a grumpy person who always seems to be getting sick? That may be no coincidence: Research is now finding a link between Happiness and a more robust immune system (soldiers of the body). Again, scientists experimented on some people’s immune systems; in the experiment, people were exposed to the common cold. After a few days, those who had expressed positive emotions were less likely to have developed a cold. There have been many such experiments over the years. In another experiment, scientists investigated why happier people might be less susceptible to sickness. In any of those experiments, it was realized that people who were high in positive emotion were nearly twice as likely to have a high antibody – a sign of a robust immune system.
- Happiness combats stress
As human as we are, we can become stressed up. Getting stressed up all the time can have a negative effect on our bodies. When we become stressed, a hormone known as cortisol is released. Stress can affect us both psychologically and biologically. It affects our blood pressure. For example, when a dog is chasing us, when a car nearly runs us down, or when we are late for an appointment. Think of how you feel when under pressure to do specific responsibilities. Sometimes the difficulties and challenges of life can make us stressed. In any of these cases, we can stay calm. And Happiness can help us to recover quickly from stress. Many studies have established a relationship between Happiness and stress was established. It was found that happy people have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than the least happy. Another indicator of pressure – the story of a blood-clotting protein that increases after stress – was 12 times lower. Happy people usually recover faster from stress compared to the least happy.
- Happy people have fewer aches and pains
We are affected mentally, physically, and socially when we are sick. Feeling aches and pains can also affect us. Arches and pains can affect our quality of life. And when we are in severe pain, we are unable to smile or laugh. We then result to painkillers to bring us relief. Sometimes too, we may not have done strenuous work or have any disease condition, but we feel aches and pains. When it happens this way, check it for it could be something else. Unhappiness can be painful.
A 2005 study suggests that positive emotion also mitigates pain in the context of disease. In the study, it was realized that people with arthritis and chronic pain with positive emotions like interest, enthusiasm, and inspiration for about three months were less likely to experience pain increases.
- Happiness combats disease and disability
No one wants to get sick or ill. Some diseases are evitable, while some of them are inevitable. Medical doctors and public health advocates can give guidelines for healthy living. But one that we pay less attention to is our psychological(mental) health. One way to take care of your mental health is by embracing Happiness. Happiness, according to researchers, is associated with improvements in more severe, long-term conditions, not just shorter-term aches and pains.
Studies from Australia reported that people who are happy and satisfied with life most or all of the time were about 1.5 times less likely to have long-term health conditions like chronic pain and severe vision problems. Other studies also suggest a link between Happiness and breast cancer, even though most breast cancer patients are unhappy. According to the studies, Happiness and optimism may be protective against breast cancer.
As adults become elderly, another condition that often afflicts them is frailty, characterized by impaired strength, endurance, and balance and puts them at risk of disability and death. However, according to a study in Mexico, people with much self-esteem, hope, Happiness, and enjoyment are less likely to be frail. Some researchers also found that happier older adults (by the same measure of positive emotion) were less likely to have a stroke. This was particularly true for men.
Taking care of your mental health by building positive emotions can permanently protect you from other psychological and mental disorders in the future.
- Happiness lengthens our lives
We stigmatize HIV/AIDS patients. We also stigmatize breast cancer patients with breast cancer wounds. We also discriminate against the aged probably because our society brands them as too difficult to communicate with or witches due to their experience in life. HIV/AIDS and breast cancer patients may have fewer friends, so they are mostly left in isolation, leaving them lonely. This usually makes them unhappy. This may affect their life expectancy. These people typically do not live long. It is, however, important that these people should cultivate positive emotions. According to some studies, positive emotions lower the risk of death in people with diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
Happiness and longevity studies have revealed that people who were content and satisfied with their life lived longer than those who were never satisfied. This research was carried out among some catholic nuns. It became evident that nuns who expressed positive feelings like amusement, contentment, gratitude, and love lived 7-10 years longer than the least happy. But you don’t have to be a nun to live longer. You can also cultivate these positive emotions.
In a nutshell, many benefits come with living a happy life. Science in positive emotions is still young, and experts are working to bring more light to Happiness and health. But in the meantime, it seems safe to imagine that a happier you will be healthier, too. Top of form bottom of Form
Writer: Dr. Etepe Dugah