RESEARCH THE
FINISHING TOUCH
KATIE BARNES » MANAGING EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS
The happiest people
outlived those who were miserable
HAPPY TALK T
he argument that positive wellbeing could – and should – be used in the fi ght against bad health and stress has been highlighted by a UK study*. Scientists from the University Col-
lege of London have found that the happiest people, who have a more positive outlook, are 35 per cent less likely to die in the short term than those who are miserable. While many existing studies already show
that happy people are healthier, this study is unique because the participants were accu- rately reporting their mood in real time rather than recollecting them at a later date which can prove unreliable.
IN THE MOOD
T e study was based on 3,853 people in total aged between 52 to 79. Using the ecologi- cal momentary assessment (EMA) method, they recorded their mood four times in one day – on waking, 30 minutes aſt er waking, at 7pm and when they went to bed. Each time, they rated the extent to which
they felt happy, excited, content, worried, anx- ious or fearful on a scale of one to four. T e fi rst three feelings were combined and described as positive aff ect (PA) in the results. The subjects were then divided into
three groups based on their PA rankings – high, medium and low. Aſt er fi ve years, the researchers followed up with the members of each group to record who had died dur-
Being happy is the key to older adults living a longer life according to a British study based on 3,800 people
ing that time. Factors such as age, gender, depression, health and lifestyle – which might have infl uenced the results – were taken into account.
DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY
T e group with the highest PA scores had a gradual increase in lifespan it was found. Only 3.6 per cent of the high-PA group had died during the fi ve years. In contrast, 4.6 per cent in the middle bracket and 7.3 per cent in the lower third had died. In short, the happiest people were 35 per
cent less likely to die. Yet more negative emotions did not reverse the trend and had little infl uence on survival. “We were surprised that measures
obtained over one single day might predict so strongly,” said lead author Andrew Step- toe in an article on the health-based website
healthymagination.com. Other fi ndings the website highlighted were:
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■ T e happiest people were slightly younger and more likely to be male and married ■ Positive emotions overall were low- est at 7am and highest at 7pm ■ Ethnicity, paid employment, edu- cation and presence of serious disease made no signifi cant diff erence to PA ■ Smoking was less com- mon and physical activity higher among those with higher PAs ■ Happier people had higher opin- ions of their own health
However, Steptoe was keen to point out
that the results don’t prove that happiness causes people to live longer. He told UK newspaper T e Telegraph: “T e happiness could be a marker of some other aspect of people’s lives which is particularly important for health. For example, happiness is quite strongly linked to good social relationships – maybe it’s things like that which are account for the link between happiness and health.” He also suspects that biological processes
could be at work: other studies have shown that positive moods reduce stress-related hor- mones and boost the immune system. ●
*Steptoe A and Wardle J. Positive aff ect meas- ured using ecological momentary assessment and survival in older men and women. PNAS. Vol 108, no 45, November 2011
SPA BUSINESS 2 2012 ©Cybertrek 2012
YURI ARCURS /
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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