Do Happy People Live Longer? New Study Says Happiness Not the Key to Longevity

Most people were pretty convinced that adding happiness to their life's equation is the right formula to achieving longevity. Consequently, they also believe that being unhappy can take someone to his or her early grave.

But, according to a new study, this idea does not hold water. Happiness has got nothing to do with the lifespan of a person and the lack of it, for the most part, won't likely to kill you either, Stuf.co.nz wrote in an article.

This result, definitely, flies in the face of some members from the psychology field who have also done some research of their own regarding the matter and to those who are advocating good health or overall well-being through having a more positive take in life. But, according to study lead author and Associate Professor Bette Liu, those claims could be based on a confused cause and effect.

The latest study, which was published in The Lancet and also referred to as the UK Million Women prospective study, found out that those people who are sick or in bad health condition were more likely to be unhappy. These people were more likely to die early not because they are unhappy, but because of their illness.

In their own research, Liu and his team did not include those who had a pre-existing life-threatening illness. "We then compared the death rates in people who were happy and people who were less happy, and found that once you accounted for people's poor health, being happy didn't make any difference," said Liu, who is also an epidemiologist at UNSW.

"It's not that being happy doesn't matter. Everyone wants that. But, it basically kills this basic belief that if you're happier you're going to live longer. That's just not true," Liu added.

Meanwhile, Ed Diener, an American psychologist who has been dubbed "Mr. Happiness" for his contribution to positive psychology and author of the book, "Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth," said that people who are happy may indeed live longer, but he failed to account for ill health in his own study, Design & Trend reported.

Liu also noted that, although, happiness is a worthwhile pursuit for individuals, their research shows that it should not be deemed as a priority for public health. She recommends focusing the resources on things that could really help improve the health of people such as cessation of smoking. She said that if people are going to be healthier, then they are more likely to be happier, as well.