Are Happy People Healthier? New Reasons to Stay Positive

Mon Jul 02, 2012 2:19 am » by **Noentry**

Scientists are finding more and more proof of the remarkable way our emotions can affect our immune system.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/How-Your-Em ... z1zQ4qnLdV

The powerful link between emotional outlook and physical health is no secret. "I didn't believe in it when I started out 40 years ago," says Martin Seligman, PhD, one of the preeminent experts in the field of positive psychology and author of the new book Flourish. "But the data has grown year after year, and it's become a scientific certainty." Good feelings, scientists now know, have healing effects on the body, and researchers studying everything from the flu to HIV continue to find eye-opening evidence that a person's mind-set can influence her immunity and the rate at which she heals from injuries and illness.

"When it comes to our health," says Seligman, "there are essentially four things under our control: the decision not to smoke, a commitment to exercise, the quality of our diet, and our level of optimism. And optimism is at least as beneficial as the others." Scientists don't yet fully understand the biological mechanisms at work, but they know that negative feelings like stress, sadness, and worry cause a spike in the hormone cortisol, which in turn suppresses the immune system. Here, then, are tips culled from the latest research on how to stay positive—and healthy.

Look on the Bright Side
In another of Cohen's studies, he assessed 193 subjects to determine their level of positive emotions (including happiness, calmness, and liveliness). Again, he exposed participants to a virus—and found that people who scored low on positive emotions were three times as likely to succumb to the bug. (A few high-scoring participants fell ill, too, but they reported fewer symptoms than the average cold or flu sufferer normally experiences.) What's intriguing about this phenomenon, says Lara M. Stepleman, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and health behavior at the Medical College of Georgia, is that "we all have the ability to choose an optimistic mind-set. And with practice, we can get better at it."

Stay happy, stay healthy.

Your life health and your life depends on it
:sunny:

Mon Jul 02, 2012 2:52 am » by **The57ironman**

Noentry wrote:

Stay happy, stay healthy.

Your life health and your life depends on it

.

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Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:25 am » by **Noentry**

The57ironman wrote:
Noentry wrote:

Stay happy, stay healthy.

Your life health and your life depends on it

.

great tune the57ironman.

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I have always been fascinated by the ability of music to change a persons emotional state.
Or their state of mind, like when if you go to a superstore and the music has been specially selected to make me feel at ease so I spend more, or the Rocky music "eye off the tiger" makes me wanna kick someones ass.
And off course happy tunes like the one above that instantly break out a smile.
:cheers:

Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:29 am » by **The57ironman**

.

....it's all good :wink:

d'you see the haircut..?

:cheers:

Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:31 am » by **Kinninigan**

Noentry wrote:
I have always been fascinated by the ability of music to change a persons emotional state.
Or their state of mind, like when if you go to a superstore and the music has been specially selected to make me feel at ease so I spend more, or the Rocky music "eye off the tiger" makes me wanna kick someones ass.
And off course happy tunes like the one above that instantly break out a smile.

This one could make anyone happy....

:banana:

Little Richard doing Tutti Frutti. Recorded in 1995... :cheers:

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Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:48 am » by **Noentry**

great tune Kinninigan always makes me smile too

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Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:54 am » by **Noentry**

The57ironman wrote:.

....it's all good

d'you see the haircut..?

yeah I did.
It must of been a hard decision after all those years.
I had hair similar to yours back in the day, but mine use to just grow up and out :lol:

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Mon Jul 02, 2012 9:26 am » by **X-mog**

It is not being free of illness that keeps one happy, but hapiness preventing illness. :owned:

Mon Jul 02, 2012 4:48 pm » by **1973samtyler**

I would agree that being happy makes for a better person, and better health may follow, since you wouldn't lay about drinking and smoking, moaning about your lot in life.

Mon Jul 02, 2012 4:57 pm » by **Thor**