Health
Health and Happiness: The Connection
by Empress Ashaki
"Joy, temperance, and repose, slam the door on the doctor's nose." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"Mirth is the medicine of life; it cures its ills and calms its strife."- Unknown
What is “happiness”? It has been defined as “a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.” Throughout time, philosophers, religious personnel, and even scientists have striven to define happiness and identify its sources. Happiness is such an integral aspect of humanity that the U.S. Declaration of Independence declared it an “inalienable right”; “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The term “pursuit of happiness” is an interesting one, especially when many religious leaders and meta physicists believe that happiness is mankind's natural state. If this is true, then it seems we should stop “pursuing” happiness, and turn around and go back to it.
According to a study on aging by University College London researchers, those who enjoy life the most are three times more likely to live a little longer than those who enjoy it the least. Researchers tracked the psychological well-being of 10,000 people aged 50-100 over nine years and found that those who were recorded as having the greatest enjoyment of life at the first interview were more likely than other participants to still be alive nine or ten years later. Researchers also suggested that people of a happy disposition were less stressed and that environmental factors such as strong social networks could also play a part.
We know that eating fresh fruits and vegetables, exercising and getting proper rest enhance our physical and mental health considerably, but how does one find the seemingly elusive “happiness”? Much of what we think we need in order to be happy will not make us happy at all, at least not forever. Some may think that more money will make them happy, while there are those who have more money who also believe they have more problems. Others believe that if they just had a romantic partner, then they would be happy. As true as that may be, romance has its challenges as well. Here are a few suggestions of ways to be happy and sustain that state: