Happiness and Satisfaction Might Lead to Better Health
By Kurt Ullman, Contributing WriterAugust 29, 2008
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.
Paul Hershberger, Ph.D., a professor at the Wright State University Boonshoft
School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio, said he found it interesting that the
researchers were able to isolate happiness and life satisfaction out of all of
the other factors that can influence future health. Hershberger was unaffiliated
with the study.
“Their unique contribution is the short, three-year time period of their
study,” he said. “To my knowledge, this the shortest time I’ve seen where
looking at baseline happiness predicts future health. It is compelling to me
that measuring someone’s happiness now accounts for some differences in
physical health in as little as three years.”
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Health Behavior News Service: Lisa Esposito at (202) 387-2829 or hbns-editor@cfah.org.
American Journal of Health Promotion: Call (248) 682-0707 or visit www.healthpromotionjournal.com
Siahpush, M, Spittal M, Singh GJ. Happiness and life satisfaction prospectively
predict self-rated health, physical health, and the presence of limiting,
long-term health conditions. Am J Health Promo 23(1), 2008.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Health Behavior News Service: (202) 387-2829 or www.hbns.org.
Center for the Advancement of
Health
Health Behavior News Service
Contact: Lisa Esposito, Editor
202.387.2829
hbns-editor@cfah.org