The DOI matches its Crossref record; 49 of the 49 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Happiness and Health
Abstract
Research into the relationship between happiness and health is developing rapidly, exploring the possibility that impaired happiness is not only a consequence of ill-health but also a potential contributor to disease risk. Happiness encompasses several constructs, including affective well-being (feelings of joy and pleasure), eudaimonic well-being (sense of meaning and purpose in life), and evaluative well-being (life satisfaction). Happiness is generally associated with reduced mortality in prospective observational studies, albeit with several discrepant results. Confounding and reverse causation are major concerns. Associations with morbidity and disease prognosis have also been identified for a limited range of health conditions. The mechanisms potentially linking happiness with health include lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and dietary choice, and biological processes, involving neuroendocrine, inflammatory, and metabolic pathways. Interventions have yet to demonstrate substantial, sustained improvements in subjective well-being or direct impact on physical health outcomes. Nevertheless, this field shows great potential, with the promise of establishing a favorable effect on population health.
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In the citing paper
“Other work has found that positive affect protects against disease progression in the context of diabetes and other cardiometabolic conditions. 77,78”
From Psychological Health, Well-Being, and the Mind-Heart-Body Connection: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (2021) · cites this paper as [77]
In the citing paper
“Happy individuals tend to sleep better, exercise more, eat better, and not smoke. 77”
From Psychological Health, Well-Being, and the Mind-Heart-Body Connection: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (2021) · cites this paper as [77]
In the citing paper
“Although some pathways are shared across negative and positive psychological factors, 11,53,77,94,95 specific manifestations of psychological health may also have distinct biobehavioral effects. 96”
From Psychological Health, Well-Being, and the Mind-Heart-Body Connection: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (2021) · cites this paper as [77]
Citations
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“An analysis of the Health and Retirement Study demonstrated that greater eudaimonia (purpose in life) was associated with an increased likelihood of having cholesterol tests, colonoscopy, mammograms, and Papanicolaou tests (women) and prostate examinations (men) (68).”
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“Some of the principal elements that have been identified are summarized in Figure 1, and an extensive literature has been devoted to these associations (4, 26, 35).”
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“Simple ratings of happiness on a single occasion are the least robust, and associations with health outcomes have been inconsistent (83).”
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“135 women, 61–91 years (44) PA (questionnaire) Eudaimonic scales (questionnaire) Levels inversely ∝ positive relationships, not any other scales Age, education, SES, marital status, health, medication, smoking, alcohol, depression”
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Positive affect uniquely predicts lower risk of mortality in people with diabetes.
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“Similarly, an analysis of the Rush Memory and Aging Project found that incident disability in basic and instrumental ADLs and mobility was reduced among older people who reported greater purpose in life at baseline, independently of cognitive factors, depressive symptoms, social networks, frailty, and vascular disease…”
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Emotional Outlook on Life Predicts Increases in Physical Activity Among Initially Inactive Men
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O'Toole, M. S., Bovbjerg, D. H., Renna, M. E., Lekander, M., Mennin, D. S., & Zachariae, R. (2018) · Brain, Behavior, and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2018.04.005 · Cited by 62 · cited 1×
“A meta-analysis of 19 trials involving mindfulness-based methods, cognitivebehavioral therapy, or relaxation reported significant reductions in C-reactive protein concentration when comparing levels before and after intervention, though differences were not sustained at follow-up (99).”
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Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Steptoe, A.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Steptoe, Andrew
- ORCID
- Steptoe, Andrew
- Venue
- Annual Review of Public Health
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2019-04-01
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 339-359
- ISSN
- 0163-7525 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-2093
- OpenAlex
- W2908143860
- Cited by
- 474
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 50 · 2025: 70 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 86 · 2022: 75 · 2021: 58 · 2020: 48 · 2019: 16
- FWCI
- 7.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annual Review of Public Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health, psychology, and well-being
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Optimism, Hope, and Well-being
- Keywords
- happiness, subjective well-being, emotional well-being, eudaimonic well-being, life satisfaction, mortality, morbidity, disease risk, reverse causality, confounding, physical activity, diet, neuroendocrine pathways, inflammation, metabolic pathways, intervention
- MeSH terms
- Diet, Female, Happiness, Health Status, Humans, Life Style, Male, Personal Satisfaction, Prospective Studies, Quality of Life, Health Behavior
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