Happiness and Good Health

by Yoeelah E. N. Aharon

Happiness is something that we all take for granted. It is something that everyone wants and so many people never achieve. Happiness however is directly related to good health. In his book Authentic Happiness, Dr. Seligman reports that there is direct evidence that positive emotion predicts better physical health and longevity. In scientific studies it has been clearly demonstrated that happier people are less likely to die and less likely to become disabled (up to 50% less likely for each). Happier people have better health habits, seek out and absorb more health risk information, have lower blood pressure, and stronger immune systems.
Sadness/depression is the opposite. It is well established that people who are depressed show increased use of mental health services and non-mental health services resulting in a four fold increase in healthcare costs compared to a non-depressed employee. Approximately 18.8 million Americans, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. adult population, have a depressive disorder in a given year. Approximately 70% of depressed adults are employed. Based on these national statistics, a company can estimate the number of employees under its insurance plan that experience depression. In addition to the increased health care costs, depressed employees also have greater lost time from work and disability. Depression also magnifies the morbidity and healthcare costs of many physical illnesses including coronary heart disease, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, back pain, osteoporosis, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.