The happy get lucky in their older years
Dont worry, be happy is not only a motto for enjoying life, it might actually help older folks live longer, researchers report. Questioned three time over five years, seniors in England who consistently said they enjoy life were 24 percent less likely to die during the follow-up period compared with those who reported little joy from their lives.
People who reported enjoying their lives at all three occasions had the lowest mortality over the next six to seven years, while those who said they did not enjoy their lives at any time were the most likely to die, said study lead author Andrew Steptoe.
We cannot draw the conclusion, however, that high levels of subjective well-being are causally linked with good health, since this is an observational study, added Steptoe. He is director of the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care at University College London.
Other factors that we did not measure could be responsible, he said.
Still, the findings lend support to the hypothesis that a positive outlook is relevant to your future health, Steptoe noted.
Additionally, even some enjoyment of life is better than none, he said.
The report was published online Dec. 13 in the journal BMJ. One expert believes enjoying life can reduce stress, which in turn may prolong life.
Sustained enjoyment or happiness would be expected to be associated with lower levels of subjectively experienced stress, said Dr. Dilip Jeste. Jeste directs the University of California, San Diegos Stein Institute for Research on Aging. He said studies have shown that subjective stress is more telling than objectively measured stress.
HealthDay
