Perhaps there should be a stronger focus on maximizing the population's happiness, as findings showed happiness can lead to lower levels of a potentially dangerous stress chemical in the body.

In fact, happier people may be healthier both mentally and physically, compared to less happy people. According to a study, when happier people experience stress, they have lower levels of plasma fibrinogen, a chemical in their bloodstream that indicates the presence of inflammation, thus an indicator of heart health.

Something to Smile About

The study involved 116 men and 100 women (ages 35-55) who were taking part in a major study on the various risk factors for coronary heart disease. Researchers carried out tests on the participants in three different settings:

• At work
• In the Laboratory
• During leisure periods

Participants were asked whether or not they were happy at 33 moments during the day -- researchers then evaluated how often people were happy in the course of the day. The results were adjusted according to gender, age, employment status, weight, smoking habits and psychological stress.

Moreover, levels of the stress hormone cortisol -- linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and autoimmune disease -- were found to be 32 percent lower in people who reported more happy moments. What researchers found particularly interesting, though, was that the association between happiness and biological responses was separate from psychological distress.

BBC News April 18, 2005

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences April 19, 2005

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

There is little doubt about the powerful effects positive emotions can have on your physical health and well-being. At the same time, there is equally little doubt about the effects that negative emotions can have on you. Many of us lack the full appreciation of the incredible impact your emotions have on your health. The results of this new study not only provide a powerful reminder of why your emotions are such a significant factor in your overall health, they also suggest that what's going on inside of your head can actually override the effects of what's going on outside of it. In other words, in regard to the effects stress has on your life, this study provides a wonderful illustration of a concept I believe is crucial for you to understand: It's not the stress itself, but how you respond to it that's the key to your future health. There are a number of different effective methods that are available for accomplishing this task, and many of them work quite well. I have found energy psychology techniques, such as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), to be highly effective. EFT is a form of psychological acupressure, based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over 5,000 years, but without the invasiveness of needles. Simple tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the head and chest while one thinks about their specific problem. If you need more guidance in learning this technique than what is available with my free introduction to EFT, I recommend reviewing the list of guidelines and practitioners compiled by Dr. Patricia Carrington. Related Articles: Money Can't Buy You Happiness Competence and Self-Esteem Are Some of the Keys To Happiness Take Control Over Your Own Happiness