Optimism, Happiness and staying positive could prevent heart disease, study finds
Last updated 19/02/2010 15:38:57
Happiness and staying positive could prevent heart disease
Being an optimist could help protect you from heart disease. A new study suggests that being happy and staying positive could prove to be preventative against coronary problems.
Seventeen hundred people were monitored by researchers in the United States over a decade, with the most anxious or depressed shown to at the highest risk.
The study, published in the European Heart Journal, could not prove happiness was protective. But the researchers advise people people to try to enjoy themselves. None of this may be surprising – it's not rocket science. But to hear medical experts placing value on a positive approach to life is encouraging.
Participants were assessed for emotions and given a rating on a five-point scale to score their level of positive emotions. By the end of the study, some 145 had developed heart disease - fewer than one in 10. For each rise in the happiness scale there was a 22% lower risk of developing heart disease.
Happier people may enjoy better sleeping patterns, be less liable to suffer stress and be more able to move on from upsetting experiences. Lead researcher Dr Karina Davidson said: "Essentially spending a few minutes each day truly relaxed and enjoying yourself is certainly good for your mental health and may improve your physical health as well."
What is it that makes you happy?
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