edited by katie barnes. email:
katiebarnes@leisuremedia.com research round-up
Being happy is the key to older adults living a longer life, according to a British study based on 3,800 people
happy talk T
he argument that positive wellbeing could, and should, be used in the fight against bad health and stress has
been highlighted by a UK study*. Scientists from University College London have found that the happiest people, who have a more positive outlook, have a 35 per cent reduced risk of dying – at least in the short term! – than those who are miserable. Interestingly, it was also reported
that physical activity was highest among those who were the happiest. While many existing studies already
show that happy people are healthier, this study – published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Science – is unique because the participants were accurately reporting their mood in real time rather than recollecting them at a later date, which can prove unreliable.
in the mood The data for the study was collected in a single day as part of a larger country- wide survey – the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. There were 3,853 participants in total, aged between 52 and 79 years old. Using the ecological momentary assessment (EMA) method, the participants were asked to record their mood four times in one day – on waking, 30 minutes after waking, at 7pm and when they went to bed. Each time, they rated in a pen and
paper diary the extent to which they felt happy, excited, content, worried, anxious or fearful on a scale of one to four. The fi rst three feelings were combined and described as positive affect (PA) in the results. The subjects were then divided into
three groups based on their PA rankings – high, medium and low. After fi ve years, the researchers followed up with the members of each group to record who
may 2012 © cybertrek 2012 Positive emotions were found to be lowest at 7am and highest at 7pm
had died during 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 It was found that the group with the highest PA scores had a longer lifespan: only 3.6 per cent of the high-PA group had died during the five years. In contrast, 4.6 per cent in the middle bracket and 7.3 per cent in the lower third had passed away. In short, the happiest people were 35 per cent less likely have died in that period. However, negative emotions did not reverse the trend and had little bearing on survival. “We were surprised that measures
obtained over one single day might predict so strongly,” said lead author Andrew Steptoe to the health-based website
healthymagination.com. Other fi ndings of the study included: • The happiest people were slightly younger and more likely to be male and married
• Positive emotions overall were lowest at 7am and highest at 7pm
• Ethnicity, paid employment, education and presence of serious disease made no signifi cant difference to PA
• Smoking was less common and physical activity higher in those with higher PAs
• Happier people had higher opinions of their own health
However, Steptoe was keen to point out that the results do not prove that happiness causes people to live longer. He told The Telegraph: “The 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 is things like that which 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 hormones and boost the immune system.
*Steptoe A and Wardle J. Positive affect measured using ecological momentary assessment and survival in older men and women. PNAS. Vol 108, no 45, November 2011 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 87
YURI ARCURS /
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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