Could happiness reduce the risk of heart disease?
We already know that depression can be a serious and life altering illness, but it was only recently that we began to understand what a profound effect our emotions can have on our physical health and well being.
According to a recent study in which people were marked with a happiness score during an interview, those who scored highly in the happy stakes were less likely to develop heart disease. The scale ranged from one as the least positive to five as the most positive. Over 10 years, the risk of developing coronary heart disease was 22 percent lower for each extra point in peoples happiness score.
So how is it that happiness reduces such a risk? Well experts believe that it could be a simple case of those with excellent health finding it easier to adopt a cheerful approach to life, or it could be a chemical reaction in the body. Stress hormones put wear and tear on our hearts and obviously happy people produce very little of these. Other factors could even link to the fact that those who are happier are less likely to turn to cigarettes in order to relax.
As this study is a fairly new concept, far more research and in depth investigation is required before we can really begin to consider outlook on life as a contributing factor to hear disease but there are steps you could already be taking in order to keep your heart as healthy as possible. Not smoking and keeping to a healthy weight are two steps you can take, as well as getting treatment for problems like diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.
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