Happiness is a state of extreme positive emotions. It is a state where you are at peace with your inner self and the world around you. True happiness comes from within, in other words, you are solely responsible for making yourself happy. It is thus a habit that should be developed and practice daily. Many of the happiness guru believes anyone could determine to be happy irrespective of the outward external situation.
Maintaining happiness and a positive correlation with our wellbeing. The field of positive psychology has actually linked happiness and the state of health. The cliché 'laughter is the best medicine' was brought up as a result of studies, backed up with various research. It was also discovered that experiences that produces positive emotions could also cause negative emotion to disappear rapidly. The best therapist understands this. Thus, they do not just help people heal damage, they work to identify the cause of the damage and build people's strength and virtues around it. Here are four ways happiness influences your state of health.
1. Happiness Broadens Your Focus and Expands Your Thinking
Have you ever been angry at anyone or anything? You will discover that you focus solely on the matter as well as how to get back at the person, the cause of your unhappiness. During this period of unhappiness, your mind is like a heat-seeking missile, with just a single mission: Destruction!
Now you compare this with what happens when you are happy. Common positive emotions such as love, curiosity, joy, wonder, excitement etc. expands your focus of attention, it makes your mind open up to the free flow of idea. This is the singular reason why passion is very important for artistic careers and endeavors (singing, acting etc.) The same reason why a positive state of mind is needed for a high productivity at work and a healthy bottom line as well.
2. Happiness Protects Your heart
Although, the heart might not really be the source of happiness, love or hate, but these emotions have a long way to go in affecting the heart and its function. A 2005 paper by Dr Steptoe and Dr Wardle of University College London revealed that happiness means moderate heart rate as well as optimum blood pressure.
Another study by Dr Bhattacharyya of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London established the link between happiness and a form of heart health measurement, (heart rate variability; the time interval between heartbeats). This heart health measurement determines the risk for various hearth diseases. The research revealed a study of 76 patients that were suspected to have coronary artery disease. The participants who said they were the happiest on the day their hearts were tested revealed a healthier pattern of heart rate variability. Thus establishing the fact that happiness was linked to healthier hearts even among folks prone to heart disease.
3. Happiness and Optimism
Various studies have established that optimist tends to have longer lives. Optimism as we all know is the act of expecting ONLY positive or the best outcome from anything. It is quite different from positive emotions, although they are both related. Thus, an optimist sees the world from a completely different angle than anyone. Even if circumstances does not favors the optimist, he chooses to be unmoved.
An optimist is usually in control of situation and gives him/her self credit for favorable outcomes. Thus they have a particular lens through which they see the world that gives them this sense of internal control over situation and also filters the bad side of life away.
This sense of calmness and internal control over situation/circumstances has many benefits, and research established that an optimist has a 19% longer life span on average. An article on How to be Happy Guru further established that if you are optimistic, you increase the chances of attracting only good things and people to your life.
4. Happiness helps to Fight Disease and Disability
Also, quite a number of researches has been conducted that shows the link between happiness and improvement in severe long term health conditions. A study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion in 2008 further demonstrates this. In the study, nearly 10,000 Australians that reported being satisfied and pleased with life were revealed to be 1.5 times less likely to have any long term health condition years later. Different research studies also indicated that truly happy elderly people with much positive emotions have a much lower tendency of developing strokes in the years to come.
As established at the beginning of this write up, you are solely responsible for your happiness. Decide to be happy today irrespective of what is going around you or the circumstances you are bothered with.