Happiness is one of those things that everyone seems to desire on some level like scallop pun. Most people would imagine themselves as content and satisfied with their lives. Though, if we look at the facts, contentment barely scratches the surface when it comes to what can make life worth living. Let’s check out ten interesting reasons people are drawn to happiness.
Men generally find happy women more attractive than unhappy women, according to a study published in the journal Psychological Science. Scientists hypothesized that maybe we “prefer positive emotions because they signal health, which makes a happy face an attractive face.” As it turns out, this is true. Men do like happy faces better than sad ones and will pick them over sad faces when given the option for dates or sexual partners. This can probably be attributed to the fact that positive emotions are associated with healthy immune systems and strong social relationships, two traits that make for an overall healthier mate.
It’s common knowledge that our mood can affect how others perceive us. Pets can be trained to act more cheerful around their owners, and couples often spend money to visit a happy place when they’re trying to get pregnant. But, there are some surprising effects on our physical appearance as well. One study showed that women who were happier were rated to be less symmetrical than women who were sad. As it turns out, symmetrical faces are associated with health and fertility, making them more attractive in a mate than asymmetrical ones.
Scientists believe that the happier people are, the longer they may live. In a study of over 500,000 women in Sweden, researchers found that women who were more satisfied with their lives were 20% less likely to experience heart disease or cancer than women who were less happy. More recently, a study of over 2,000 twins showed that those who were happier had lower rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes than their unhappy twin. Clearly, happiness isn’t just good for your mental health. It also seems to extend down into the body itself.
In a study published in the Journal of Personality, it was found that those who were more happy with their lives were more likely to behave honestly and trust others. Indeed, when asked how they would feel about taking a drug if they were paid $1,000, the average person gave an answer that was twice as high for those who rated their happiness higher. It’s no wonder that we’re more inclined to be honest and trustworthy in our everyday lives; we know what good feelings do for us!
Those who are happy with life tend to make better leaders than those who are not. They tend to be more concerned about their followers’ needs and are able to motivate them better. They can get their work done faster and have a stronger sense of purpose. In addition, happy leaders have been shown to have lower stress levels, which may be one reason for the improved performance on their teams.
It’s well-documented that positive emotions are crucial for a good life, but it seems that they’re also important issues of longevity. A study conducted at the Rotterdam Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands followed 1,000 people over fifty years old over the course of ten years and found that those who felt positive had a lower mortality rate than those who were unhappy. This was true for both men and women. The study also showed that those who were depressed had a hazard ratio of 1.74, a staggering figure when compared to the normal risk of mortality of 1.14.
In a study conducted by Columbia University, long-term studies showed that the happier people were, the longer they lived (14 years longer overall) and had fewer health problems in old age regardless of their education level. This was true regardless if they had only one friend or forty friends at their disposal as well as whether or not they’re healthy or diagnosed with any kind of chronic illness, including heart disease and cancer.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan and published in Psychology and Aging showed that those who were optimistic were more likely to live longer than those who were not. The study followed 1,096 men and women over the age of 70 for 7 years, scoring the participants on their level of optimism. The results showed that optimism had a strong effect on survival; those with a positive attitude lived longer (over 6 years) than those with a negative attitude, which can be attributed to healthier behaviors.
The Journal of Career Assessment found that happy employees are more likely to get ahead in their careers than unhappy employees. The research took a large group of individuals and asked them how they were feeling at work and then had them answer questions on their performance. The study showed that happier workers struggled less with interpersonal relationships at work and were more productive, even though those in a bad mood tended to leave the office earlier.
Researchers found that happy faces are perceived as attractive; being happy makes you look better than sad faces. In one study, subjects were shown photographs of faces from which the subjects could choose as long as it was a face of the opposite gender. They rated the happiness levels of those photographs based on their attractiveness and attractiveness ratings correlated with the happiness level of the person in question.
Now, it’s not all rainbows and roses. There are some issues to be considered. If you are happy, you may have a larger carbon footprint or may be less likely to go into politics. Also, unhappy people are capable of great and heroic acts like climbing Mount Everest and helping others in distress. But, given that happy people live longer than their unhappy counterparts, it is clear that happiness is a benefit to your health regardless of the situation in which you find yourself. Now go be happy!
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