Healthy happiness: effects of happiness on physical health and the consequences for preventive health care

Is happiness good for your health? This common notion is tested in a synthetic analysis of 30 follow-up studies on happiness and longevity. It appears that happiness does not predict longevity in sick populations, but that it does predict longevity among healthy populations So, happiness does not cure illness but it does protect against becoming ill. The effect of happiness on longevity in healthy populations is remarkably strong. The size of the effect is comparable to that of smoking or not.If so, public health can also be promoted by policies that aim at greater happiness of a greater number. That can be done by strengthening individual life-abilities and by improving the livability of the social environment. Some policies are proposed. Both ways of promoting health through happiness require more research on conditions for happiness.

• Publication year

  2008

• Venue

  Journal of Happiness Studies

• Publication date

  2008-09-01

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Economics, Psychology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1007/S10902-006-9042-1
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Conditions Of Happiness

  2007cited by this paper
• Predictors of mortality in old age : contribution of self-rated health, physical functions, life satisfaction and social support on survival among older people

  2006influential reference
• The benefits of frequent positive affect: does happiness lead to success?

  2005cited by this paper
• Socio-Economic Status, Health Shocks, Life Satisfaction and Mortality: Evidence from an Increasing Mixed Proportional Hazard Model

  2005cited by this paper
• WHOQOL-BREF as predictors of mortality: A two-year follow-up study at veteran homes

  2005cited by this paper
• Youth in Transition: Volume VI, Adolescence to Adulthood—Change and Stability in the Lives of Young Men

  2005cited by this paper
• Health Promotion: Philosophy, Prejudice and Practice

  2005cited by this paper
• Unhappily Ever After: Effects of Long-Term, Low-Quality Marriages on Well-Being

  2005cited by this paper
• Inequality-Adjusted Happiness in Nations Egalitarianism and Utilitarianism Married in a New Index of Societal Performance

  2005cited by this paper
• Does Happiness Pay? An Exploration Based on Panel Data from Russia

  2004cited by this paper
• Positive life orientation as a predictor of 10-year outcome in an aged population.

  2004cited by this paper
• Emotions, stress, and health.

  2003cited by this paper
• How's Life? Combining Individual and National Variables to Explain Subjective Well-Being

  2003cited by this paper
• Health and Well–Being in the Young Old and Oldest Old

  2002cited by this paper
• Longevity increased by positive self-perceptions of aging.

  2002cited by this paper
• Self‐reported functional ability predicts three‐year mobility and mortality in community‐dwelling older persons

  2002cited by this paper
• Journals of Gerontology

  2001cited by this paper
• Positive emotions in early life and longevity: findings from the nun study.

  2001cited by this paper
• Well‐being in the welfare state: Level not higher, distribution not more equitable

  2000cited by this paper
• Positive psychology. An introduction.

  2000cited by this paper
• Psychosocial predictors of outcome: time to relapse and survival in patients with early stage melanoma

  2000cited by this paper
• Emotional Well‐Being Predicts Subsequent Functional Independence and Survival

  2000influential reference
• The way forward for physical activity and the promotion of psychological well-being

  2000cited by this paper
• Happiness Prospers in Democracy

  2000cited by this paper
• FREEDOM AND HAPPINESS A comparative study in 46 nations in the early 1990's 1

  2000cited by this paper
• Self-appraisal, life satisfaction, and retrospective life choices across one and three decades.

  1999cited by this paper
• Psychological predictors of mortality in old age.

  1999cited by this paper
• What Good Are Positive Emotions?

  1998cited by this paper
• Psychological adjustment variables as predictors of mortality among nursing home residents.

  1998influential reference
• Mortality after spinal cord injury: an 11-year prospective study.

  1997cited by this paper
• Distinguishing Optimism from Denial: Optimistic Beliefs Predict Attention to Health Threats

  1996cited by this paper
• Baseline quality of life as a predictor of mortality and hospitalization in 5,025 patients with congestive heart failure. SOLVD Investigations. Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction Investigators.

  1996influential reference
• Pleasure and quality of life

  1996cited by this paper
• Happy life-expectancy

  1996cited by this paper
• Pleasure: The politics and the reality

  1995cited by this paper
• State and trait negative affect as predictors of objective and subjective symptoms of respiratory viral infections.

  1995cited by this paper
• Does childhood personality predict longevity?

  1993cited by this paper
• Predictors of mortality for the oldest old. A 4-year follow-up of community-based elderly in Sweden.

  1992cited by this paper
• Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being

  1991cited by this paper
• Psychosocial Predictors of Survival in End‐Stage Renal Disease

  1990cited by this paper
• The prediction of mortality in elderly institution residents.

  1989influential reference
• Survival hazards analysis in first recurrent breast cancer patients: seven‐year follow‐up.

  1988cited by this paper
• Risk factors for mortality after bereavement: a logistic regression analysis.

  1987cited by this paper
• Psychosocial predictors of mortality among the elderly poor. The role of religion, well-being, and social contacts.

  1984influential reference
• Perceived health and mortality: a nine-year follow-up of the human population laboratory cohort.

  1983cited by this paper
• Consistency in Adult Functioning: The Influence of Social Stress

  1982cited by this paper
• Self-rated health: a predictor of mortality among the elderly.

  1982cited by this paper
• Predictors of the longevity difference: a 25-year follow-up.

  1982cited by this paper
• Mortality, Well-Being, and Control

  1982cited by this paper
• Personality, life situation, and life expectancy.

  1981cited by this paper
• Moeite met levem of een moeilijk leven. Een vervolgonderzoek naar de invloed van psychosociale belasting op het welbevinden van driehonderd Nederlanders.

  1980cited by this paper
• Depressed mood and subsequent physical illness.

  1979cited by this paper
• Psychological coping mechanisms and survival time in metastatic breast cancer.

  1979cited by this paper
• De zin van het bestaan : een inleiding tot de logotherapie

  1978cited by this paper
• Change in life satisfaction: a longitudinal study of persons aged 46-70.

  1977cited by this paper
• Predicting longevity: a follow-up controlling for age.

  1969cited by this paper
• Physical, mental, and social factors in predicting longevity.

  1969cited by this paper
• Motivation and Personality

  1954cited by this paper
• The arts of living

  1941cited by this paper

• Cross-cultural study of religiosity, gratitude, and happiness: self-esteem as a mediator among Malaysian and Indonesian adults.

  2026cites this paper
• On Happiness and Sustainability Comovement - Evidence from Regularized Regression and Semiparametric Copula Models

  2026cites this paper
• Employment Status, Working Hours and Happiness Among Married Women and Men: Panel Evidence from Taiwan

  2026cites this paper
• Telecare and elderly mortality: Evidence from Italian municipalities.

  2026cites this paper
• Happiness and stock market participation

  2025cites this paper
• Diversity Matters: The Role of Sleep Disturbance Diversity in the Association Between Sleep Disturbance and Subjective Happiness in Older Adults

  2025cites this paper
• Effect of happiness and functional disability on older people’s survival

  2025cites this paper
• Interconnections of Physical Activity, Cognition, Functional Health and Social Connectivity with Perceived Happiness among Rural Adults: Population based study

  2025cites this paper
• Mortality Risks, Survival Pessimism, and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

  2025cites this paper
• Association of Perceived Xingfu With Health-Related and Socioeconomic Factors Among Hong Kong Chinese Adults: Cross-Sectional Study Using a Novel Single-Item Tool

  2025cites this paper
• Purpose and happiness: a comparison

  2025cites this paper
• Benevolent Childhood Experiences and Afrocentric Norms: Pathways to Flourishing Among Urban Black Young Adults.

  2025cites this paper
• Subjective Factors of Healthy Lifestyle: Q-Methodology

  2025cites this paper
• How happy is healthy enough? Uncovering the happiness threshold for global non-communicable disease prevention

  2025cites this paper
• Effectiveness of a Psycho-pedagogical Intervention on Spiritual Intelligence, Happiness, and Spiritual Well-being for Primary School Children: A Non-randomized Controlled Trial

  2025cites this paper
• Park life: the difference between having financial information and understanding it on park home owners’ quality of life

  2025cites this paper
• Happiness and productivity: a research synthesis using an online findings archive

  2025cites this paper
• How to Take Stock of Research Findings on Happiness in Regions Using the World Database of Happiness

  2025cites this paper
• Lead yourself to the zone and be happy: The effect of self-leadership development on flow and happiness

  2025cites this paper
• Glück und seine Bedingungen: ein interkultureller Vergleich der Philippinen und Deutschland (Happiness and Its Conditions: An Intercultural Comparison Between the Philippines and Germany)

  2025cites this paper
• The effects of general health on psychological well-being of elderly women: The mediating role of socioeconomic status and education level.

  2025cites this paper
• Türkiye’s leisure repertoire: The cultural consonance paradox on the path to perceived health and happiness

  2025cites this paper
• Exploring subjective well-being using machine learning: GDP, health, social support, and emotional factors

  2025cites this paper
• Study on the perception of a healthy lifestyle among secondary school students

  2025cites this paper
• Does Happiness Foster Social Bonds? A Research Synthesis Using an Online Finding Archive

  2025cites this paper
• Telecare and Elderly Mortality: Evidence from Italian Municipalities

  2025cites this paper
• Factors Affecting the Joy of Life in Old Age: A Scale Development Study

  2025cites this paper
• Dose regular physical activity improve the relationships among self-efficacy, resilience, happiness, and well-being in youth people with hearing disability in Guangdong—a moderation model

  2025cites this paper
• The relationship between management of facilities and tenants’ satisfaction towards retirement homes: An exploratory study

  2024cites this paper
• The Relationship between School Happiness and Digital Game Addiction

  2024cites this paper
• Happy urban public spaces: a systematic review of the key factors affecting citizen happiness in public environments

  2024cites this paper
• Mental health and social connection among older lesbian and bisexual women

  2024cites this paper
• “Happyfly” – an online intervention to improve the art-of-living and well-being among flight attendants

  2024cites this paper
• Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study

  2024cites this paper
• The effect of employees' perception of organizational justice on psychological capital and job satisfaction

  2024cites this paper
• Covid 19 Öncesi ve Sonrası Algılanan Mutluluk

  2024cites this paper
• Positive welfare in dairy cows: role of the vet

  2024cites this paper
• Predictors of Subjective Health Among Spouses and Its Relations With Happiness: A Multilevel Analysis in a Nationwide Survey in Turkey

  2024influential citation
• Experiencias de Violencia y Bienestar en Mujeres Peruanas Víctimas de Violencia de Género

  2024cites this paper
• The Impact of Psychological Capital and Organizational Justice on Flight attendants’ Performance: The Mediating Role of Mental Health

  2024cites this paper
• The impact of government policies and regulations on the subjective well-being of farmers in two rural mountain areas of Italy

  2024cites this paper
• Satisfação com a vida, bem-estar e felicidade em pessoas idosas com e sem apoio formal

  2024cites this paper
• Türkiye’de 2000-2023 Yılları Arasında Öğretmenlerin Ve Okul Yöneticilerinin Tükenmişlik Sendromu İle İlgili Lisansüstü Tezlere Yönelik Bir Meta-Değerlendirme

  2024cites this paper
• Happiness in urban environments: what we know and don’t know yet

  2024cites this paper
• Job satisfaction and happiness keys in the prosocial behavior of citizens in Europe

  2024cites this paper
• Household health expenditure does not improve people’s subjective well-being in China

  2024cites this paper
• I love you but I can’t say: adaptation of the Measure of Verbally Expressed Emotion (MoVEE) to Turkish and investigation of psychometric properties

  2024cites this paper
• Personal Competence or Environmental Characteristics? Factors Influencing Happiness among Ageing Adults in Hong Kong Around the Period of COVID-19 Pandemic

  2024cites this paper
• Psychological capital, social support, work engagement, and life satisfaction: a longitudinal study in COVID-19 pandemic

  2024cites this paper
• What Makes People Happy with their Lives in Developing Countries? Evidence from Large-Scale Longitudinal Data on Ghana

  2024cites this paper
• Level of happiness and its association with food literacy among Seoul citizens: results from Seoul Food Survey 2021

  2024cites this paper
• Does morphological polycentric spatial structure improve subjective well-being? – Evidence from China based on the moderating perspective of the urban-rural income inequality

  2024cites this paper
• From Emissions to Emotions: Exploring the Impact of Climate Change on Happiness Across 140 Countries

  2024cites this paper
• Design for community happiness—an approach and framework

  2024cites this paper
• Feasibility of a group-based laughter yoga therapy on anxiety and happiness among community-dwelling older adults: A quasi-experimental study

  2024cites this paper
• Life, Longevity, and the Pursuit of Happiness: The Role of Disability in Shaping Racial and Sex Disparities in Living a Long and Happy Life

  2023cites this paper
• Socio-economic determinants of subjective wellbeing of Indians in the post-liberalization era: evidence from the world value survey

  2023cites this paper
• Ageing Happily in Ghana: How Does Social Inclusion Contribute?

  2023cites this paper
• Happiness Matters: Emotional Health Factors that Contribute to Perceived Overall Health in African American Men

  2023cites this paper
• General health and working conditions of Flemish primary care professionals

  2023cites this paper
• Happiness Behind the Scenes: Associations between Heuristic Happiness and Related Dimensions in Skin Diseases

  2023influential citation
• Electoral proximity, political violence, and personal wellbeing: An experimental analysis in West Africa

  2023cites this paper
• A Qualitative Approach to Exploring the Impact of the Gay Identity Formation Process

  2023cites this paper
• Sleep and Happiness in Urban-Dwelling Older Adults in Ghana: A Serial Multiple Mediation Model of Generalized Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms.

  2023cites this paper
• On the beauty of sadness: it’s okay to say, I am sad, thank you

  2023cites this paper
• Examination of the Effects of COVID-19 on Happiness in Different Geographical Regions with Piecewise Linear Panel Data Models

  2023cites this paper
• A New Lens on Improving Physical Health with Psychological Interventions: A Systematic Review

  2023influential citation
• Does exercise participation promote happiness?: Mediations and heterogeneities

  2023cites this paper
• Well-being and ill-being on campus

  2023cites this paper
• Rethinking Happiness at School after COVID-19 and Some Implications for Future Research

  2023cites this paper
• G-FORCE: the effectiveness of group psychotherapy for Cluster-C personality disorders: protocol of a pragmatic RCT comparing psychodynamic and two forms of schema group therapy

  2023cites this paper
• Moderating Effects of Authentic Happiness on the Relationship Between Health-seeking Behaviour and Treatment Adherence Among Patients with Hypertension

  2023cites this paper
• Wellbeing Heterogeneity within and Among University Students

  2023cites this paper
• Metaphorical Conceptualization of Positive and Negative Emotions in Italian

  2023cites this paper
• Analysis of Mental and Physical Health for Personality Development using Fuzzy AHP and Fuzzy Topsis

  2023cites this paper
• Safety and Injury of US-Certified Organic Crop Producers in the Southwest Region

  2023cites this paper
• Mental Illness as a Predictor of Subjective Happiness Among University Employees Working in Hawai'i.

  2023cites this paper
• Centenary Personality: Are There Psychological Resources that Distinguish Centenarians?

  2023cites this paper
• Human-centred artificial intelligence for mobile health sensing: challenges and opportunities

  2023cites this paper
• Can private health insurance improve happiness? Evidence from European countries

  2023cites this paper
• A Systematic Survey of Happiness from an Analytical Perspective

  2022cites this paper
• Healthy, Wealthy, and Happy: The Joint Role of Health and Income in Explaining Global Life Satisfaction

  2022cites this paper
• A report of two cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM): happy and longevity

  2022cites this paper
• Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy Based on Happiness in the Social Well-being and Sexual Performance of Couples

  2022cites this paper
• The Impact of Optimism and Internal Locus of Control on Workers’ Well-Being, A Multi-Group Model Analysis before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

  2022cites this paper
• The Consequences of the Pandemic for Subjective Well-Being: Data for Improving Policymaking

  2022cites this paper
• BOTANICAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO HUMAN FLOURISHING: A PERSPECTIVE ON THE ROLE OF PLANTS IN ENHANCING HAPPINESS AND FOSTERING VISUAL ART AND SUSTAINABILITY

  2022cites this paper
• More Than Oneself: Cultural Values as Predictors of Happiness

  2022cites this paper
• Concept of Happiness in Children and Older Adults

  2022cites this paper
• The Elderly and the Determinants of Stress

  2022cites this paper
• Agroforestry systems associated with natural regeneration: alternatives practiced by family-farmers of Tomé-Açu, Pará

  2022cites this paper
• Post-Pandemic HCI - Living Digitally: Well-Being-Driven Digital Technologies

  2022cites this paper
• Using Positive Psychology as an Alternative Solution to Teachers' Occupational Burnout

  2022cites this paper
• Prediction of satisfaction indicators increasing the level of happiness: evidence from the Turkish life satisfaction survey

  2022cites this paper
• The effect of happiness and humor on improving immune system function: A narrative review study

  2022cites this paper
• Dark, down, and destructive side of entrepreneurship: Unveiling negative aspects of unsuccessful entrepreneurial action

  2022cites this paper
• Tranquil and Serene: Beekeeping and Well-Being in the Italian Alps

  2022influential citation
• Single-Item Happiness Measure Features Adequate Validity Among Adolescents

  2022cites this paper
• Analysis of influence of physical health factors on subjective wellbeing of middle-aged and elderly women in China

  2022cites this paper
• COVID-19: A Source of Stress and Depression Among University Students and Poor Academic Performance

  2022cites this paper