I decided to be happy because it’s good for your health… This flamboyant postulate is signed Voltaire. The Enlightenment philosopher lived beyond 80 years, a feat for the time. Yes, it’s scientifically proven: happiness allows you to live longer and in better health.
For most of us, no offense to Voltaire, health is at the service of happiness, and not the reverse. Indeed, intuitively, all the actions we take are means we use to achieve happiness.
For example :
- Why undertake studies? To get a good job.
- Why a good job? To have a good salary.
- Why a good salary? To live comfortably.
- Why live comfortably? To be happy.
Moreover, with the Greek Aristotle (384-322 BC), happiness appears to be the supreme objective of existence. There is a hierarchy of goals in life and happiness is at the top.
Voltaire, for his part, puts happiness at the service of health by considering that if it can have a beneficial effect on his health, so much the better! Voltaire’s joke gave birth to a brilliant formula that could well be a scientific truth.
The relationship between happiness and health
Making happiness a pledge of health like Voltaire is a supposition which may therefore initially seem risky. But since the 2000s, many scientific studies have highlighted a virtuous relationship between well-being, longevity and health.
In 2011, two American researchers published a meta-study (the synthesis of 160 works) in the journal Journal of Applied Psychology. They have thus shown that the happiest people tend to to live longer and in better health than unhappy people.
This text is taken from the book My Little Happiness that you can receive for free.
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Another British study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has shown that seniors who say they are happy have 35% less risk to die within five years than those who say they are unhappy. So it’s really worth it to say to yourself: ” I decided to be happy because it’s good for your health!”
This very strong correlation between well-being and health amazes even scientists! And more interestingly, this relationship has also been scientifically observed in the animal world …
Why adopt “I decided to be happy …”
Scientists have thus succeeded in demonstrating that positive emotions improve immune defenses, promote cardiac recovery after exercise or even accelerate healing.
The results of these studies are all the more interesting as they show that these links are independent of other factors such as aging, smoking, alcohol consumption or the practice (or lack of practice) of a sports activity.
There are compelling indications that as you become happier in life and are generally happy with your existence, you tend to adopt healthier habits i
You now have to choose the right option, that of Voltaire, and to repeat to you every morning when you get up: ” I decided to be happy because it’s good for your health! By cultivating your happiness, you will take care of your health.
