Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives, the study revealed. That finding proved true across the board among both the Harvard men and the inner-city participants.
The long-term research has received funding from private foundations, but has been financed largely by grants from the National Institutes of Health, first through the National Institute of Mental Health, and more recently through the National Institute on Aging.
The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age Those who had unhappy marriages felt both more emotional and physical pain. Those who kept warm relationships got to live longer and happier, said Waldinger, and the loners often died earlier. According to the study, those who lived longer and enjoyed sound health avoided smoking and alcohol in excess. Researchers also found that those with strong social support experienced less mental deterioration as they aged.
In part of a recent study , researchers found that women who felt securely attached to their partners were less depressed and more happy in their relationships two-and-a-half years later, and also had better memory functions than those with frequent marital conflicts.
Since aging starts at birth, people should start taking care of themselves at every stage of life, the researchers say. The study, like its remaining original subjects, has had a long life, spanning four directors, whose tenures reflected their medical interests and views of the time. Early researchers believed that physical constitution, intellectual ability, and personality traits determined adult development. In that sense, the study itself represents a history of the changes that life brings.
Psychiatrist George Vaillant, who joined the team as a researcher in , led the study from until Friday, March 20, marks the third-annual International Day of Happiness. With this realization about the importance of happiness in mind, the first UN Conference of Happiness was held in and it was decided that starting in , every March 20 to follow would be celebrated as International Day of Happiness. So in honor of this International Day of Happiness, here are nine things science knows makes us happy.
Some of them might actually might surprise you. Which we hope makes you happy. This molecule releases high levels of oxytocin when we think about those we care for and love. Studies have found that even spending time on social media looking at photos of your friends you know, the ones you actually like can raise oxytocin levels making people happier than they were before they looked at photos or status updates.
Human beings, it seems, need to feel love and connection through personal relationships in order to feel happy. Who knew?! A study found that age actually has quite a bit to do with happiness. It found that people in their 70s were far happier than year-olds , because even though both age groups experienced extraordinary events, the people in their 70s, who had more life experience and knowledge about themselves, could enjoy it more. Other studies have also confirmed that being 69 and older is definitely the happiest time for many individuals — although, interestingly, 23 tends to be an especially happy age as well.
Subscriber Account active since. There are a number of small things you can do that will make a big impact on your overall well-being, according to psychologists.
That might be reading an adventure story, keeping a gratitude journal or even gazing up at the stars on a clear night. Here are some of the things that psychologists and social science researchers have found that have the power to lift your spirits and keep them high. Keeping tabs on the things you feel lucky to have in your life is a great way to boost your mood.
In a recent study from psychologists at UC Davis, researchers had 3 groups of volunteers keep weekly journals focused on a single topic. While one group wrote about major events that had happened that week, the second group wrote about hassles they'd experienced, and the last group wrote about things they were grateful for.
Ten weeks later, those in the gratitude-journal group reported feeling more optimistic and more satisfied with their lives than those in any of the other groups and reported fewer physical symptoms of discomfort, from runny noses to headaches. Awe is a powerful — even awesome, you might say — human emotion. And a handful of recent studies have found a link between experiencing a sense of awe — that feeling you get when you look up at a starry sky or out across a wide open valley — with feeling less stressed and more satisfied.
People who've recently had an awe-inspiring experience are also more likely to say they feel more curious about the world around them and to act more generously toward others. They don't call it "Central Perk" for nothing. Several studies have even found a connection between caffeine consumption and a reduced depression risk, as well as an even a lower risk of suicide. However, at least one of these studies specifically found this connection with caffeinated coffee but not tea, though others found the same effect for tea as well.
You don't have to be Don Draper to reap the benefits of some peace and quiet. Multiple studies suggest that meditating — focusing intently and quietly on the present for set periods of time — can help lessen feelings of depression and anxiety. While it's possible that people with such brains might be more likely to meditate in the first place , other studies do show that people who complete a meditation program tend to show brain changes linked with self-awareness, perspective, and memory.
Stressed out? Head for a forest. One study found that a group of students sent into the trees for two nights had lower levels of cortisol — a hormone often used as a marker for stress — than those who spent the same two nights in a city. In another study , researchers found a decrease in both heart rate and cortisol levels in people in the forest when compared to those in urban areas. If living in a big city has you feeling a bit down, there's good news: A brief walk in nature could be all it takes to chase away those negative thoughts.
At least that's the finding of a new study published last month. In the study, a group of 38 Northern California ns 18 women and 20 men were split up into two groups — one who took a minute walk in nature and another that did the same walk in the city. The nature walkers reported having fewer negative thoughts about themselves after the walk than before the walk, while the urban walkers reported no change.
What's more, fMRI brain scans revealed less activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex sgPFC , a brain region that may play a key role in some mood disorders and has been linked with patterns of negative thought, according to the study. Those who went on the urban walk did not show any of these benefits, the study found. Experiencing positive emotions not only appear to have the power to neutralize negative ones, but can also encourage people to be more proactive.
Visiting a museum or seeing a concert is yet another way to boost your mood. A study that examined the anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction of over 50, adults in Norway offered an interesting link: People who participated in more cultural activities, like attending a play or joining a club, reported lower levels of anxiety and depression as well as a higher satisfaction with their overall quality of life. So get out there and participate!
Happiness is entirely subjective, meaning that what makes one person happy might affect someone else differently. However, listening to sad music seems to be a common activity that's been linked with increased happiness around the globe. For example, instead of setting a goal like "save the environment," try to recycle more. Those two examples were tested on a group of volunteers in a study published last year.
The people in the second group also reported a lower overall sense of personal happiness from completing their goal, the scientists report. Ever heard someone say, 'If you're angry at someone, write them a letter and don't send it'? While that might seem like a waste of time, science reveals recording your feelings is great for clarifying your thoughts, solving problems more efficiently, relieving stress, and more. A team of pyschologists recently hit on a neurological reason behind why this simple act might help us overcome some emotional distress.
The researchers studied brain scans of volunteers who recorded an emotional experience for 20 minutes a day for 4 sessions. They then compared the brain scans with volunteers who wrote down a neutral experience for the same amount of time. The brain scans of the first group showed neural activity in a part of the brain responsible for dampening strong emotional feelings, s uggesting that the act of recording their experience calmed them.
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