A new study in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being has shown that happiness and positive feelings about your life contribute both to longevity and better health:

scienceblog.com/43257/study-happiness-im...

Pessimism, anxiety, depression and a lack of enjoyment of daily activities are all linked to higher rates of disease as well as shorter life. 

But we already knew this, didn't we? 

Hi, Jane -

Yesterday, after a dy of northerly gales and pouring rain, the skies cleared and turned pink-and-blue striped, and I stopped what I was doing to just stare, because it was so beautiful.  And so brief.  A few minutes later, the skies were darkening as evening came on.

This afternoon, when I went out to hang clothes, some of the resident neighbourhood mallard ducks came over to investigate, and I marvelled at their lovely plumage.  A curious thrush sat in a near-by plum tree and looked us over, so I called to him, and he cocked his head as if to answer.

That's what it's all about, isn't it? 

Surely this comes under the heading of "slowly and painstakingly working out the bloody obvious" (aka, "a near-waste of research funds" which annoys me at a time when they're at a premium).

I'd also like to point out that depression isn't just a synonym for "feeling sad", it's a diagnosable illness and depressives have a low life expectancy because so many of us kill ourselves.

~ Ebon (who is dour, cynical and pessimistic, has no desire to change and is perfectly ok with the idea of dying earlier as a result)

Mar 3, 2011 -- 12:16AM, Ebon wrote:

Surely this comes under the heading of "slowly and painstakingly working out the bloody obvious" (aka, "a near-waste of research funds" which annoys me at a time when they're at a premium).

I'd also like to point out that depression isn't just a synonym for "feeling sad", it's a diagnosable illness and depressives have a low life expectancy because so many of us kill ourselves.

~ Ebon (who is dour, cynical and pessimistic, has no desire to change and is perfectly ok with the idea of dying earlier as a result)

I am sure this will sounds a bit stupid but it sometimes seems to me that a person can be both depressed, as in clinicaly or whatever but still happy on some level.  Maybe that depends on the individual and what kind of depression they might have?  What do you think?

Mar 3, 2011 -- 10:13AM, Ken wrote:

Mar 3, 2011 -- 12:16AM, Ebon wrote:

Surely this comes under the heading of "slowly and painstakingly working out the bloody obvious" (aka, "a near-waste of research funds" which annoys me at a time when they're at a premium).

It's also useless. What are we supposed to do about it? Nobody can simply decide to be happy.

 

Ken, many people decide to be happy.  For some people that kind of decision is harder to make than others.  Some people like Ebon have a very hard time of it and struggle with it.  For many other happiness is a choice, a choice they have to remind themselves to make