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Happiness is an important ingredient in a healthy life. Many studies indicate that happiness plays a major role in your health, whether it’s living a healthy lifestyle or reducing the amount of chronic pain – happiness is the solution to many health woes.
Encourages Healthy Living
According to studies, happier people are almost twice as likely to eat more fresh vegetables than people who state that they are not happy. Eating more produce will automatically improve your health overeating a diet high in processed food.
Here’s a great post from Steak and Kale on some benefits from eating a plant-based diet.
Provides Energy
When you tend to eat better, you tend to end up with more energy. It’s hard to imagine it but being negative or sad can literally drain your energy out of your body while being happy can give you more energy.
Boosts Immunity
Eating better, moving more, and feeling happy will also increase your ability to fight off illness and disease because it improves your immunity. A study showed that people who report happiness tend to fight off illness faster than people who report sadness. They literally gave people the cold virus and the happy people were three times less likely to get the cold.
Lessens Stress
If you’re happy, you’ll have a lot less to keep you up at night, to worry about, and therefore you’ll end up with less stress. However, it goes farther than that because happy people tend to report less stress even when they are facing stressful things. Due to the strength that happiness gives you, you’ll experience less stress.
Protects Cardiovascular Health
Because you’re eating better and moving more due to your happiness, you are also protecting your cardiovascular health. You’re less likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke, or other issues related to heart health and the cardiovascular system.
Increases Longevity
Because you’re eating right, exercising more, and you’re feeling great about life, you will likely live longer. According to one long-term study that tracked the lives of 32,000 people to find out who lived longer. The people who report happiness, or the people who report being less happy. It’s not surprising that happy people tend to live 14 percent longer.
Diminishes Pain
People who have chronic pain have a right to be mad about it or feel sad about it. However, the fact is people who report being happy tend to deal with their chronic pain (and other illness) better than those who were not happy to start with.
When you are happy, you’re more likely to eat right, drink enough water, and move. It’s mostly because you have more energy to do active things. If you are having difficulty maintaining your happiness, learn how easy it is to change your mindset. Happiness has nothing to do with your circumstances but everything to do with how you choose to react to them.
Here are some other posts you may like
15 Fun Exercises to Try at Work!
5 Healthy Snacks (even kids will love)
7 Meal Prep Containers (and why I love them)
The most true part of this article is your happiness has nothing to do with the circumstances of your life, but how you choose to react to them. That is a great motto to have every day.
Elizabeth, you are 100% right about that!
“According to studies, happier people are almost twice as likely to eat more fresh vegetables than people who state that they are not happy.” Hey! I need you to link back to my blog! I love veggies!! 🙂
Kale, I emailed you about it!
Finding happiness is so important!
Erin, yes it is!
A lot of people feel happy based on what ‘happens to them or they base it on ‘happenstances’ where AS true joy and happiness comes from the inside out not the outside in! Paul’s story in The book of Philipians is a great example of this xx
You are SO right about that!
Music makes me happy! When I listen to the songs my soul needs, I can feel stress melting away and my energy increasing!
Music can really be powerful!
So true! Even your posture is better when you’re happy!
Exactly Margaret!
I love this. We may not be happy every second of our life but being happy is so important!
Audry, it really is! We need to take advantage of happiness when we can!
I love this! I truly believe that choosing to be happy and see the brighter side of things makes life so much better!
Amy, you are SO right about that!
so true! i know that when i’m stressed i always make bad food and sleep choices!
Amanda, I think that’s a common pitfall we all experience.
This is so true… All of it! Happiness is a decision we have to make, yes despite our circumstances and emotions. Great post.
Elize, thank you. You are totally right we always need to choose happiness!
Pretty amazing how much of a domino effect your happiness has on your health, really makes you reconsider what you’re doing to take care of your own 🙂
Urwah, it really does. Small changes can have a big effect!
Happiness can absolutely improve your health and like everything, it’s a choice.
Amanda, Yes it is!