Happy people don't just enjoy life; they're likely to live longer, too. A new study has found that those in better moods were 35% less likely to die in the next 5 years when taking their life situations into account.
Studies show that people who actively help and support others, be it family members, friends, or those in the community, might actually be more likely to live longer.
For example, a meta-analysis (3) based on 24 studies estimated that happy people live 14% longer than persons who report that they are unhappy. In a survey of people living in industrial countries, happier people enjoy an increased longevity of between 7.5 and 10 years (4).
Researchers found that people who had satisfying relationships with others were happier, better adjusted, had fewer health problems and indeed lived longer. The reverse seems to be true as well. Weak social ties are linked to higher rates of depression, later-in-life cognitive decline, and increased mortality.
For example, one meta-analysis found that people with healthy and supportive relationships live longer, and that these effects are surprisingly strong. Over the course of studies averaging seven years long, research participants with larger social networks were about 45 percent less likely to die.
Smiling players lived on average EIGHT years longer than their more stoic counterparts. Another study out of the London University College found that happy, cheerful people were 35% more likely to live longer.
Extroverts may live longer than introverts – but not during a pandemic. A US study showed that extroverts had a slightly higher mortality rate than introverts during the first Covid-19 wave in the US. It remains to be seen whether this pattern continued into 2021 and 2022.
Being socially isolated is terribly unhealthy. Studies since the 1980s have shown that if you haven't got friends, family or community ties, your chance of dying early may be 50% higher than if you did. Social isolation is now being touted as similarly detrimental to health as smoking or not taking exercise.
Kind acts help you connect with other people
It essentially brings you out of your own head and helps you build a stronger social network, which can also be extraordinarily helpful as far as longevity goes, given that maintaining a social life and being part of a community are also tenets of the Power 9.
The average American has three friends for life, five people they really like and would hang out with one-on-one, and eight people they like but don't spend time with one-on-one or seek out. Most people have remained close with friends they met when they were younger.
In one large study from the Brookings Institute, for example, scientists found happiness was high for 18- to 21-year-olds and then dropped steadily until about age 40. But past middle age, the pattern began to reverse—gradually climbing back up to its highest point at age 98!
Being under heavy stress shortens their life expectancy by 2.8 years. These results are based on a study in which researchers from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare calculated the effects of multiple risk factors, including lifestyle-related ones, to the life expectancy of men and women.
I exclude older people. It makes sense to look at as many countries as possible given the evidence that in the raw data the USA looks different. In the raw US data, essentially however measured, happiness rises initially to a peak around age 30 and then declines into midlife and then rises again after age 70.
Among older people, upbeat moods could mean greater life span. Happy people don't just enjoy life; they're likely to live longer, too. A new study has found that those in better moods were 35% less likely to die in the next 5 years when taking their life situations into account.
The siblings and children (collectively called first-degree relatives) of long-lived individuals are more likely to remain healthy longer and to live to an older age than their peers. People with centenarian parents are less likely at age 70 to have the age-related diseases that are common among older adults.
Research has found that grumpy people are more likely to not only live a longer life and earn more money, but have a healthier marriage too.
Loving-kindness meditation slows biological aging in novices: Evidence from a 12-week randomized controlled trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology.
2) Kindness protects telomeres
This is an oft-used analogy. Telomeres typically wear shorter as we age. For this reason, telomere length is considered a measure of a person's biological age or how fast they age over a period of time.
Biological differences also help to explain women's higher longevity. Scientists believe that estrogen in women combats conditions such as heart disease by helping reduce circulatory levels of harmful cholesterol. Women are also thought to have stronger immune systems than men.
People need at least a little human contact in order to thrive, and true isolation can take a toll on your overall well-being. If you're not totally isolated, though, and your lack of friends doesn't trouble you, it can be perfectly fine to be satisfied with your own company.
Sometimes having no social life is a choice. You may be one of those people who simply likes to be alone. However, sometimes isolation is caused by anxiety. If you feel you're experiencing symptoms of social anxiety disorder, there may be underlying conditions that should be evaluated.
People who are uncomfortable with others or prefer to be alone may have a hard time maintaining friendships. Personality issues such as being pushy, too talkative, or controlling can be off-putting to others. Talking to an objective third party such as a therapist can help reveal issues that interfere with friendships.
The study, published in the journal Age and Ageing, also found that if the father lived to 90, it did not correlate to increased longevity and health in daughters. However, if both the mother and father lived to 90, the likelihood of the daughter achieving longevity and healthy aging jumped to 38%, researchers said.
Introversion isn't totally genetic. It gets influenced by your environment at a young age, and our genes allow a certain amount of flexibility in response. This happens through “set points,” which are the upper and lower limits of how much extroversion your brain can handle.
Because they are naturally very observant and thoughtful, introverts are also excellent listeners. Great leaders don't just talk, they listen intently — to their employees, consumers, and anyone else around them. They're vocal about their ideas but are also open to feedback and change.