Want Another Reason to Get Happy? Here's a Good One: It Can Help Make You Fit
by Lexi Petronis
If "feel happy" is on your to-do list (it's on mine!), it looks like there's yet another reason to do the Happiness Challenge.
A new study found that older adults who reported feelings of happiness and contentment were fitter than those who didn't. They walked faster than their less-happy peers, and their rates for developing physical impairments that affected their daily activities-such as getting dressed or getting in and out of bed--were much lower. In fact, the participants who said they were unhappy were more than three times as likely to develop physical problems as they aged.
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A previous study discovered that happy people were 35 percent less likely to die compared with those who were unhappy--maybe because feelings of happiness have also been linked to fewer strokes and heart attacks. Other studies have pointed out that happiness may help give your immune system a boost, thanks to the release of fewer stress-related hormones.
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So does happiness turn back the clock on aging? Maybe not exactly--but it does seem like it helps fill the minutes on that clock with a lot more fun.
What have you done most recently to help boost your happiness levels?
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