Happiness Linked With Longevity

A new study has claimed that people who are happy are 35% less likely to die early. The study done by researchers at the University College London found that people who felt the most positive during the course of a single day tend to live longer. This study highlights the importance of emotional well-being. Researchers found that having more negative emotions did not reverse the trend and had little bearing on survival. However they were unable to elaborate on whether happiness extended lifespan or was a marker for other factors that helped people live longer.

About 4000 people between 52-79 years of age who were part of the study were asked to give themselves a mark from 1 to 5 in several categories. Even after taking into consideration the impact of age, disease and lifestyle factors on people's happiness it was found that people who rated their happiness the highest were significantly less likely to die over the next 5 years than those who were least content.

Source-Medindia