Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Goodnews

~ John W. Howell
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

 

Today’s story comes from the Good News Network.

People Happy with Their Lives Are Less Likely to Suffer Heart Attack or Stroke

By Andy Corbley –

The analysis of health records of more than 120,000 adults in the UK with an average age of 57 found that people who are happy with their lives are significantly less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke.

They were also less likely to develop coronary artery disease, suffer a heart attack or heart failure, or have a stroke than those with lower levels of well-being, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers suggest that a holistic approach to life that includes regular physical activities, social activities, and/or stress management techniques is an effective way to enhance personal well-being.

The study found that, compared to adults with a low sense of well-being, the overall risk of developing cardiovascular disease was 10% to 21%—being lower for people with the highest well-being scores.

Compared to adults with a low sense of well-being, people with the highest well-being scores had a 44% lower risk of coronary artery disease, a 45% lower risk of stroke, a 51% lower risk of heart failure, and a 56% lower risk of heart attack.

“Our findings support a holistic approach to health care, where enhancing a person’s mental and emotional well-being is considered an integral part of preventing heart disease and stroke,” said study senior author Professor Wen Sun of the University of Science and Technology of China.

“Health care professionals might consider including strategies to improve life satisfaction and happiness as part of routine care, such as recommending regular physical activities, social activities or stress management techniques as effective ways to enhance personal well-being.”

It is well-known that life satisfaction, or well-being, can increase mental health.

But, until now, the influence of well-being on cardiovascular health was less clear.

After reviewing questionnaires from more than 120,000 participants in the UK Biobank database, the Chinese research team assessed well-being related to satisfaction with family, friendships, health, finances, and general happiness.

They analyzed the potential connection of well-being with the development of four major cardiovascular diseases: coronary heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.

The study also examined the impact of well-being on lifestyle factors and inflammatory markers.

“These results underscore the profound impact that emotional and psychological health can have on physical well-being, shedding light on intricate biological mechanisms that were not fully appreciated before,” Professor Sun said.

“They add to the growing body of data that psychological health can impact cardiovascular risk,” said Professor Glenn Levine of Baylor College of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, said of the findings. “Much of the focus on psychological health has understandably been on negative factors such as depression and stress.”

“This study emphasizes the importance of positive psychological health, including the more global factor of a person’s sense of well-being.”

The good news in this article is that we can control our physical health through our mental health. Today’s JohnKu talks about mind over matter. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

The Mind by John W. Howell © 2024

Research shows the mind,

It is an effective health tool . . .

Needing care, as well.

71 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Goodnews”

  4. Another confirmation, John. Tweaks to lifestyle, like those outlined in Sally Cronin’s ‘Size Always Matters,’ can have a subtle yet profound influence on both health and happiness. It gets back to those all important ten two-letter words: “If it is to be, it is up to me!”

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Your post is particularly relevant to life today, with the threat of war, the experience of hurricane horror, and the ever-growing division between people. If we all went to a local fair and rode the Ferris wheel a few times, we might laugh a bit and re-find reasons to be happy. Great JohnKu. 🌞

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  16. This is wonderful news, John, and thank you for reprinting it! I imagine studies like this could be done on a variety of physical conditions and arrive at similar conclusions. The body and the mind are definitely connected.

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  17. It is important in these studies that they are able separate out the factor they are looking at. Happy people having a 20% less risk of heart attack does not tell you anything because they may be happier because of a healthier lifestyle, which in turn could be the real reason for the lesser risk of heart attack. Usually, they are able to do the statistical analysis (regression analysis) to isolate the effect of the factors though, but it is not an easy task. I always think about these things when I read about studies.

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    1. Still even if the lifestyle is producing happiness the correlation coefficient on that regression you mentioned would show a direct effect of unhappiness and poor health. I guess you could argue that the poor health caused the unhappiness but still the idea that happy people are in better health still holds.

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  19. Makes sense. I would have thought the percentages were even less likely of having a heart attack for happy people. Happy usually means a minimum of stress.

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  20. Not surprising yet significant to have the findings from a large study group that supports integrative health. A win for the heart, mind, and body! 👏🏻 Thank you for the share.

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      1. Absolutely, thank you and you too. Sure makes life more enjoyable. It has been a steady upbeat climb for me since losing my dad in 2019. His last year of life brought extreme stress into mine. He’s no longer suffering, and I’ve reclaimed my health and wellbeing. 🙏🏻

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        1. So nice to hear. about that climb. My dad died of lung Cancer when I was ten. The adults all talked about how his suffering was over. I missed him very much and had to decide to go on and make him proud. I still think of him and have always wondered what my life would be had he lived. I suspect missing him gave me more determination to live a full life.

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        2. Thank you, I appreciate your reply. Stress sure does a number on our bodies and minds. I am so sorry to read about your early and significant loss, though your response to adversity is inspiring. My dad lived 13 years after his lung cancer diagnosis (surgically removed) then it returned with a vengeance. Tough stuff. 💝

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  23. That makes sense, John.. when you feel better and happy, you tend to eat better and the junk is what makes people depressed, eat to cover feelings and those are usually unhealthy foods that are hard on the body and create disease.. says I who am contemplating a donut, a muffin or my granola.. lol💓🥺😂

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  26. The JohnKu says it!

    I find creative hobbies are a great key to mental fitness.

    Street art is crazy great, I have to walk a lot to find it, get to photograph it, get to edit photos, get to make a post and get to talk art with bloggers.

    Gotta go take a shower and draw soon!

    O🚿 🎨𝟀

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