During her research, she looked at hundreds of studies and discovered ways we can get a better handle on our money, and the impact it has on our health and happiness. Good Health Quotes from BrainyQuote, an extensive collection of quotations by famous authors, celebrities, and newsmakers. 6 Responses to “Vitamin E – one of the best vitamins for brain and bedroom health”. Health Quotes and Sayings: An apple a day keeps the doctor away, But if the doctor is cute forget the fruit. Anorexia is a disease not a fashion statement. Optimism and your health - Harvard Health. Published: May, 2. Look for the silver lining.. Buddy De. Sylva's upbeat lyrics to Jerome Kern's lovely tune provide an appealing call to a positive outlook on life, even in the face of adversity. Indeed, a cheerful disposition can help you get through the tough patches that cloud every life, but do people who see the glass half- full also enjoy better health than gloomy types who see it half- empty? According to a series of studies from the U. S. Optimism helps people cope with disease and recover from surgery. Even more impressive is the impact of a positive outlook on overall health and longevity. Research tells us that an optimistic outlook early in life can predict better health and a lower rate of death during follow- up periods of 1. Measuring optimism. To investigate optimism, scientists first needed to develop reliable ways to measure the trait. Two systems are in widespread use; one measures dispositional optimism, the other explanatory style. The Lucky Sixpence: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Sixpence in Her Shoe. Excel Wellness health and wealth solutions to eXcelerate your life. Motivating people in their quests to lead healthier lifestyles and financially security. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness . First of all, Happy Holidays! It has been quite some time since I have posted anything here on Health is Happiness. It is something I think about every day and get. Six Ways Happiness Is Good for Your Health By Kira M. Need some extra motivation to get happier? Check out the ways that well. Dispositional optimism depends on positive expectations for one's future. These are not confined to one or two aspects of life, but are generalized expectations for a good outcome in several areas. Many researchers use the 1. Life Orientation Test to measure dispositional optimism. Explanatory style is based on how a person explains good or bad news. The pessimist assumes blame for bad news (. The optimist, on the other hand, does not assume blame for negative events. Instead, he tends to give himself credit for good news, assume good things will last, and be confident that positive developments will spill over into many areas of his life. Researchers often use either the Attributional Style Questionnaire or the Content Analysis of Verbatim Explanations method to evaluate optimism based on explanatory style. Optimistic sports fans. Sports fans will get a kick from a French study of cardiovascular mortality in 1. On July 1. 2, France bested Brazil in the biggest sporting event ever held in France, the finals of the World Cup of soccer. French men enjoyed a lower cardiovascular death rate on July 1. July 7 and July 1. French women did not. Doctors don't know why fatal heart attacks declined; perhaps a burst of optimism is responsible. Optimism and cardiac patients. In some studies, researchers have concentrated on the link between optimism and specific medical conditions. De. Sylva and Kern tell us that a heart full of joy and gladness can banish trouble and strife — and now scientists tell us that optimism may help the heart itself. In one study, doctors evaluated 3. In addition to a complete pre- operative physical exam, each patient underwent a psychological evaluation designed to measure optimism, depression, neuroticism, and self- esteem. The researchers tracked all the patients for six months after surgery. When they analyzed the data, they found that optimists were only half as likely as pessimists to require re- hospitalization. In a similar study of 2. Optimism and blood pressure. A sunny outlook may help people recover after a cardiac procedure, but can it also reduce the risk of developing one of the major risks for cardiovascular disease — hypertension? Research conducted in Finland suggests it can. Scientists evaluated 6. Each volunteer's mental outlook was checked with questions about his expectations for the future, and each was evaluated for cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol abuse, and a family history of hypertension. Over a four- year period, highly pessimistic men were three times more likely to develop hypertension than cheerier souls, even after other risk factors were taken into account. An American study of 2,5. Researchers used a four- item positive- emotion summary scale to evaluate each participant during a home visit. They also measured blood pressure, height, and weight and collected information about age, marital status, alcohol use, diabetes, and medication. Even after taking these other factors into account, people with positive emotions had lower blood pressures than those with a negative outlook. On average, the people with the most positive emotions had the lowest blood pressures. Emotions and infections. A 2. 00. 6 study explored the link between emotions and viral infections of the respiratory tract. Scientists evaluated the personality style of 1. Subjects who displayed a positive personality style were less likely to develop viral symptoms than their less positive peers. Optimism and heart disease. High blood pressure is an important cause of coronary artery disease. If optimism can reduce the risk of hypertension, can it also protect against developing coronary artery disease itself? To find out, scientists from Harvard and Boston University evaluated 1,3. Each volunteer was evaluated for an optimistic or pessimistic explanatory style as well as for blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, smoking, alcohol use, and family history of heart disease. None of the men had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease when the study began. Over the next 1. 0 years, the most pessimistic men were more than twice as likely to develop heart disease than the most optimistic men, even after taking other risk factors into account. Optimism and overall health. Optimism appears to protect the heart and circulation — and it's heartening to learn that it can have similar benefits for overall health. A large, short- term study evaluated the link between optimism and overall health in 2,3. Over two years, people who had a positive outlook were much more likely to stay healthy and enjoy independent living than their less cheerful peers. Staying well for two years is one thing, remaining healthy for the long haul another. But for 4. 47 patients who were evaluated for optimism as part of a comprehensive medical evaluation between 1. Over a 3. 0- year period, optimism was linked to a better outcome on eight measures of physical and mental function and health. A laughable study. Experienced clinicians know that humor is good medicine. Now researchers in Tennessee tell us it may also provide a bit of a workout. They found that genuine, voiced laughter boosts energy consumption and heart rate by 1. That means a 1. 0- to 1. It's a lot of laughing for a few calories, but optimists will be tickled by the result. Optimism and survival. It's obvious that healthy people live longer than sick people. If optimism actually improves health, it should also boost longevity — and according to two studies from the U. S. When the people were rechecked 3. A newer U. S. During the next 4. All in all, pessimism took a substantial toll; the most pessimistic individuals had a 4. The two Dutch studies reported similar results. In one, researchers tracked 5. Over the next 1. 5 years, the optimists were 5. The other study from Holland evaluated 9. People who demonstrated dispositional optimism at the start of the study enjoyed a 4. Possible mechanisms. Taken together, these studies argue persuasively that optimism is good for health. What puts the silver in the silver lining? Skeptics (or pessimists) might suggest that the effect is more apparent than real. People who are healthy are likely to have a brighter outlook than people who are ill, so perhaps optimism is actually the result of good health instead of the other way around. To counter this argument, researchers can adjust their results for pre- existing medical conditions, including physical problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, and mental problems such as depression. The studies that made these adjustments found that medical conditions did not tarnish the benefits of a bright outlook on life. Moreover, by tracking people for 1. Another explanation is behavioral. It is possible that optimists enjoy better health and longer lives than pessimists because they lead healthier lifestyles, build stronger social support networks, and get better medical care. Indeed, some studies report that optimists are more likely to exercise, less likely to smoke, more likely to live with a spouse, and more likely to follow medical advice than pessimists. But optimism is not generally associated with a better diet or a leaner physique, and even when results are adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors, a beneficial effect of optimism persists. In addition to behavioral advantages, optimism may have biological benefits that improve health. A 2. 00. 8 study of 2,8. In women, but not men, a sunny disposition was also associated with lower levels of two markers of inflammation (C- reactive protein and interleukin- 6), which predict the risk of heart attack and stroke. Other possible benefits include reduced levels of adrenaline, improved immune function, and less active clotting systems. Finally, heredity may explain some of the link. It is possible that genes predispose some people to optimism, and that the same genes exert a direct effect on health and longevity. Blue skies. More study is needed to clarify the link between optimism and good health. It's likely that multiple mechanisms are involved. Personality is complex, and doctors don't know if optimism is hard- wired into an individual or if a sunny disposition can be nurtured in some way. It's doubtful that Mc. Landburgh Wilson was pondering such weighty questions when he explained optimism in 1. As you await the results of new research, do your best to seek silver linings, if not doughnuts. Six Ways Happiness Is Good for Your Health. Greater Good. Over the past decade, an entire industry has sprouted up promising the secrets to happiness. There are best- selling books like The Happiness Project and The How of Happiness, and happiness programs like Happify and Tal- Ben Shahar’s Wholebeing Institute. Here at the Greater Good Science Center, we offer an online course on “The Science of Happiness” and boast a collection of research- based happiness practices on our new website, Greater Good in Action. But all of these books and classes raise the question: Why bother? Many of us might prefer to focus on boosting our productivity and success rather than our positive emotions. Or perhaps we’ve tried to get happier but always seem to get leveled by setbacks. Recently, a critical mass of research has provided what might be the most basic and irrefutable argument in favor of happiness: Happiness and good health go hand- in- hand. Indeed, scientific studies have been finding that happiness can make our hearts healthier, our immune systems stronger, and our lives longer. Several of the studies cited below suggest that happiness causes better health; others suggest only that the two are correlated—perhaps good health causes happiness but not the other way around. Happiness and health may indeed be a virtuous circle, but researchers are still trying to untangle their relationship. In the meantime, if you need some extra motivation to get happier, check out these six ways that happiness has been linked to good health. Happiness protects your heart. Love and happiness may not actually originate in the heart, but they are good for it. For example, a 2. In the study, participants rated their happiness over 3. The initially happiest participants had a lower heart rate on follow- up (about six beats slower per minute), and the happiest participants during the follow- up had better blood pressure. Research has also uncovered a link between happiness and another measure of heart health: heart rate variability, which refers to the time interval between heartbeats and is associated with risk for various diseases. In a 2. 00. 8 study, researchers monitored 7. Was happiness linked to healthier hearts even among people who might have heart problems? It seemed so: The participants who rated themselves as happiest on the day their hearts were tested had a healthier pattern of heart rate variability on that day. In a 2. 01. 0 study, researchers invited nearly 2,0. Canadians into the lab to talk about their anger and stress at work. Observers rated them on a scale of one to five for the extent to which they expressed positive emotions like joy, happiness, excitement, enthusiasm, and contentment. Ten years later, the researchers checked in with the participants to see how they were doing—and it turned out that the happier ones were less likely to have developed coronary heart disease. In fact, for each one- point increase in positive emotions they had expressed, their heart disease risk was 2. 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 stronger immune system. In a 2. 00. 3 experiment, 3. Before exposure, researchers called them six times in two weeks and asked how much they had experienced nine positive emotions—such as feeling energetic, pleased, and calm—that day. After five days in quarantine, the participants with the most positive emotions were less likely to have developed a cold. Some of the same researchers wanted to investigate why happier people might be less susceptible to sickness, so in a 2. B vaccine. After receiving the first two doses, participants rated themselves on those same nine positive emotions. The ones who were high in positive emotion were nearly twice as likely to have a high antibody response to the vaccine—a sign of a robust immune system. Instead of merely affecting symptoms, happiness seemed to be literally working on a cellular level. A much earlier experiment found that immune system activity in the same individual goes up and down depending on their happiness. For two months, 3. They also rated whether they had experienced various positive moods that day. On days when they were happier, participants had a better immune response, as measured by the presence of an antibody in their saliva that defends against foreign substances. Happiness combats stress. Stress is not only upsetting on a psychological level but also triggers biological changes in our hormones and blood pressure. Happiness seems to temper these effects, or at least help us recover more quickly. The happiest participants had 2. Happiness also seems to carry benefits even when stress is inevitable. In a 2. 00. 9 study, some diabolically cruel researchers decided to stress out psychology students and see how they reacted. The students were led to a soundproof chamber, where they first answered questions indicating whether they generally felt 1. Then came their worst nightmare: They had to answer an exceedingly difficult statistics question while being videotaped, and they were told that their professor would evaluate their response. Throughout the process, their heart was measured with an electrocardiogram (EKG) machine and a blood pressure monitor. In the wake of such stress, the hearts of the happiest students recovered most quickly. Happy people have fewer aches and pains. Greater Good in Action.? Check out our new site, Greater Good in Action. Unhappiness can be painful—literally. A 2. 00. 1 study asked participants to rate their recent experience of positive emotions, then (five weeks later) how much they had experienced negative symptoms like muscle strain, dizziness, and heartburn since the study began. People who reported the highest levels of positive emotion at the beginning actually became healthier over the course of the study, and ended up healthier than their unhappy counterparts. The fact that their health improved over five weeks (and the health of the unhappiest participants declined) suggests that the results aren’t merely evidence of people in a good mood giving rosier ratings of their health than people in a bad mood. A 2. 00. 5 study suggests that positive emotion also mitigates pain in the context of disease. Women with arthritis and chronic pain rated themselves weekly on positive emotions like interest, enthusiasm, and inspiration for about three months. Over the course of the study, those with higher ratings overall were less likely to experience increases in pain. Happiness combats disease and disability. Happiness is associated with improvements in more severe, long- term conditions as well, not just shorter- term aches and pains. In a 2. 00. 8 study of nearly 1. Australians, participants who reported being happy and satisfied with life most or all of the time were about 1. Another study in the same year found that women with breast cancer recalled being less happy and optimistic before their diagnosis than women without breast cancer, suggesting that happiness and optimism may be protective against the disease. As adults become elderly, another condition that often afflicts them is frailty, which is characterized by impaired strength, endurance, and balance and puts them at risk of disability and death. In a 2. 00. 4 study, over 1,5. Mexican Americans ages 6. After seven years, the participants with more positive emotion ratings were less likely to be frail. Some of the same researchers also found that happier elderly people (by the same measure of positive emotion) were less likely to have a stroke in the subsequent six years; this was particularly true for men. Happiness lengthens our lives. In the end, the ultimate health indicator might be longevity—and here, especially, happiness comes into play. In perhaps the most famous study of happiness and longevity, the life expectancy of Catholic nuns was linked to the amount of positive emotion they expressed in an autobiographical essay they wrote upon entering their convent decades earlier, typically in their 2. Researchers combed through these writing samples for expressions of feelings like amusement, contentment, gratitude, and love. In the end, the happiest- seeming nuns lived a whopping 7- 1. You don’t have to be a nun to experience the life- extending benefits of happiness, though. In a 2. 01. 1 study, almost 4,0. English adults ages 5. Here, happier people were 3. These two studies both measured specific positive emotions, but overall satisfaction with one’s life—another major indicator of happiness—is also linked to longevity. A 2. 01. 0 study followed almost 7,0. California’s Alameda County for nearly three decades, finding that the people who were more satisfied with life at the beginning were less likely to die during the course of the study. While happiness can lengthen our lives, it can’t perform miracles. There’s some evidence that the link between happiness and longevity doesn’t extend to the ill—or at least not to the very ill. A 2. 00. 5 meta- analysis, aggregating the results of other studies on health and happiness, speculates that experiencing positive emotion is helpful in diseases with a long timeline but could actually be harmful in late- stage disease. The authors cite studies showing that positive emotion lowers the risk of death in people with diabetes and AIDS, but actually increases the risk in people with metastatic breast cancer, early- stage melanoma, and end- stage kidney disease. That increased risk might be due to the fact that happier people underreport their symptoms and don’t get the right treatment, or take worse care of themselves because they are overly optimistic. As the science of happiness and health matures, researchers are trying to determine what role, if any, happiness actually plays in causing health benefits.
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