Forget Your Troubles, C'mon Get Happy

I am one of those people that believes we have significant control over how happy we are.  If you choose to see the glass as half-empty, realize that’s your choice.  You are making a decision.  Choose to see the glass as half-full and your life will not only be happier, it will be healthier. 

According to this article at the Huffington Post, positive people live longer than those with a more pessimistic view.  Plenty of research supports the healthy/happy link:

• A study from the University of Kentucky showed increased immune function as participants’ level of optimism increased.
• People with a positive attitude got sick less often than those with a negative attitude, according to a study by Carnegie Mellon University.
• Elderly folks with an optimistic view of aging lived 7.5 years longer than those with a negative view, according to a Yale study.
• And a Dutch study found that pessimists over the age of 65 had a higher risk of heart disease than those with a sunnier outlook.

There’s a lot you can do to impact your happiness and your healthiness.  A positive attitude and a strong social support network are two ingredients of a happy retirement that also lead to a healthier retirement.  Read more tips for a healthy retirement at my post this week at U.S. News & World Report, “Six Secrets to a Healthy Retirement.”

Related Posts:

            Choosing Happiness

            Happiness is Cheaper in Retirement

            Happily Retired with the Science to Back Me Up

 

This is a post from Retirement:  A Full-Time Job

 

Comments

[larry macdonald]

Have you seen the book by Lyndsay Green, "You Could Live a Long Time: Are you Ready?" It talks about similar things. Here is the author's blog and link to book.
http://www.lyndsaygreen.com/about-the-book/

[Douglas]

What will indifference get me?

[fred doe]

another great blog ms. syd. the old half full glass, it's a enigma. i can't be happy all the time anymore then i can be sad. what i can strive for is contentment and all though it's cliche, it's like walking the razors edge but i think it can be cultivated to a art form. i think back to the "cool" old guys i knew from my youth. curmudgeon who would say to hell with this or that with a smile on their face or a laugh. i like douglas' reply (and i like his blog) but now a days i save indifference for my enemy's (of which i don't have many,thank god). syd not only is your blog great it links me into so many other interesting blogs and sites.

[Retired Syd]

@Larry--I haven't seen that book, thanks for the link, it looks right up my alley.

@Douglas--you made me laugh out loud!

@Fred--I like those kind of curmudgeons . . .

[Bill Birnbaum]

Hi, Syd... I enjoyed reading your article in US News and World Report, "Six secrets..." I was especially interested in your point about the importance of a strong social network. Seems to be that a common problem which many face upon retirement is loneliness. Clearly, loneliness can be debilitating emotionally and, if it persists long enough, physically as well.

Have a great Thanksgiving, Bill

[Moncler Frakke]

I just sent this post to a bunch of my friends as I agree with most of what you’re saying here and the way you’ve presented it is awesome.