Happiness Improves Health and Lengthens Life, Review Finds

The study, in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, is the most comprehensive review so far of the evidence linking happiness to health outcomes. Its lead author, University of Illinois professor emeritus of psychology Ed Diener, who also is a senior scientist for the Gallup Organization, of Princeton, N.J., analyzed long-term studies of human subjects, experimental human and animal trials, and studies that evaluate the health status of people stressed by natural events.

"We reviewed eight different types of studies," Diener said. "And the general conclusion from each type of study is that your subjective well-being -- that is, feeling positive about your life, not stressed out, not depressed -- contributes to both longevity and better health among healthy populations."

A study that followed nearly 5,000 university students for more than 40 years, for example, found that those who were most pessimistic as students tended to die younger than their peers. An even longer-term study that followed 180 Catholic nuns from early adulthood to old age found that those who wrote positive autobiographies in their early 20s tended to outlive those who wrote more negative accounts of their young lives.

There were a few exceptions, but most of the long-term studies the researchers reviewed found that anxiety, depression, a lack of enjoyment of daily activities and pessimism all are associated with higher rates of disease and a shorter lifespan.

Animal studies also demonstrate a strong link between stress and poor health. Experiments in which animals receive the same care but differ in their stress levels (as a result of an abundance of nest mates in their cages, for example) have found that stressed animals are more susceptible to heart disease, have weaker immune systems and tend to die younger than those living in less crowded conditions.

Laboratory experiments on humans have found that positive moods reduce stress-related hormones, increase immune function and promote the speedy recovery of the heart after exertion. In other studies, marital conflicts and high hostility in married couples were associated with slow wound healing and a poorer immune response.
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Predeployment Mental Health Screening May Help Troops

Stringent mental health screening before deployment appeared to reduce the rate of psychiatric and behavioral problems among U.S. Army soldiers in Iraq by 78 percent, a new study has found.

Among other things, suicidal thoughts and actions fell by half, according to the results of the study, which were released online Tuesday in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Army Major Christopher Warner and colleagues studied more than 20,000 soldiers in six infantry brigades -- three that received screening through a mental health program before deployment and three that didn't. Soldiers were on duty in Iraq during the 2007-2008 surge, and researchers tracked them for six months at the start of their deployment.

The screening process includes the completion of a behavioral health form that triggers mental health evaluations if they're deemed necessary. Soldiers found to be psychotic or have bipolar disorder aren't deployed.

The researchers found that soldiers in screened brigades were less likely to need duty restrictions and evacuations by air for mental health reasons. "It's vitally important to know whether mental health screening works, for both military functioning and the welfare of individual soldiers, and this is the first time the program's been assessed systematically," Warner said in a news release from the American Psychiatric Association.
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