The more happiness you can maintain, the stronger will your body be. The more often you feel that you are as good as others, that you are hopeful about the future, and the more often you feel that you are enjoying life, then the less likely you are to become frail as you age. These conclusions come from a multi-year study of Mexican-Americans living in the southwest. The research, conducted by the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and published in Psychology and Aging, measured over time the weight loss, exhaustion, walking speed, and grip strength experienced by the participants as they aged. The results showed that those who reported more happiness and more positive emotions experienced significantly less development of frailty than the norm.
The researchers speculated that this effect could be mediated by the chemical and neurological correlates of positive emotions with a cheerful smile whenever possible. It is also possible that happiness increases one’s access to various resources for health, such as social support and intellectual stimulation.
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