Happiness is known to be correlated with improved health. But now researchers have identified a threshold of well-being above which people are less likely to die prematurely from chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
By comparing data from 123 countries over 15 years, researchers pinpointed the threshold at which mortality rates decline as happiness improves. Each incremental increase in well-being above this level results in a corresponding decrease in mortality risk.
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A study published in The Lancet earlier this year found that while overall mortality rates from chronic diseases decreased in the United States from 2010 to 2019, the prevalence of chronic conditions increased among Americans ages 20 to 45.
turning point
Previous research had assumed a positive link between happiness and health, but the goal of this new study, published Monday (October 20) in the medical journal Frontiers, was to identify the tipping point at which higher levels of happiness are associated with measurable health improvements, or fewer premature deaths from chronic disease.
To do this, researchers looked at the annual happiness scores of 123 countries and used the average to estimate each country’s level of subjective well-being.
Related: Does a fake smile make you feel happier?
Respondents in the happiness dataset used in the study were asked to visualize a ladder with the top representing their best possible life and the bottom representing their worst possible life. They were then asked to rate their current satisfaction and rate the future on a scale from 0 (bottom of the ladder) to 10 (top of the ladder). This tool, known as Cantril’s Life Ladder Scale, is a well-known social science tool used to measure life satisfaction.
The researchers then compared this measure of national well-being to each country’s chronic disease mortality rates over a 15-year period (2006-2021).
This study identified a threshold of happiness on the life ladder scale of 2.7. Above that threshold, every 1% increase in happiness was associated with a 0.43% reduction in premature death from chronic disease.
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The average Life Ladder score for the 123 countries studied was 5.45 from 2006 to 2021, so a score of 2.7 suggests participants were “barely coping,” study co-author Julia Iuga, a professor at Romania’s University of Dec. 1, 1918, said in a statement.
Effects of subjective well-being on health
Although the new study does not establish a strict cause-and-effect relationship, scientists have identified several ways that happiness may have health benefits.
First, happiness may reduce the effects of stress, and stress is strongly associated with the development of many chronic diseases.
“We found that positive emotions act as a buffer against stressful experiences,” said John Hunter, assistant professor of psychology at California’s Chapman University, who was not involved in the study. “Increasing positive emotions decreases stress reactivity, which means you are less responsive to stressors.” “Your heart rate goes down a little bit, your blood pressure goes down a little bit, and the way your stress hormones are released changes.”
Additionally, people with higher levels of positive emotions often maintain stronger relationships and healthier habits.
“People who are more optimistic, people who are happier, people who have more dynamic and happier social lives, people who have a stronger sense of purpose in life.” […] “They tend to be more proactive about their health,” said Dr. Alan Rozansky, a cardiologist and professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not involved in the study. They tend to eat better. They tend to sleep well. ”
This new research could help policy makers consider well-being as a “public health resource” and use it in conjunction with other important factors to reduce the impact of chronic diseases on the population, the study authors said in a statement.
Policymakers should aim to raise the average happiness level of the population above the Cantril threshold, while addressing trends and environmental conditions that can exacerbate chronic diseases such as obesity, alcohol consumption and pollution, Iuga told LiveScience in an email.
Iuga added that in regions with low levels of well-being, a focus on improving health financing and governance is needed to unlock the positive health effects of improved well-being.
The health data used in this study were self-reported, which could introduce measurement error, the study notes. Furthermore, different cultures may have different ratings of subjective well-being.
The Life Ladder scale used in this study could also be interpreted as a measure of status rather than emotional well-being, Hunter said. So the issue may not be about people’s emotional state, but about their economic and living situation, he said.
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