LONDON (AP) \u2014 There\u2019s good news for grumpy women: Being happy apparently has no effect on how long you might live.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the conclusion of the latest attempt to find out if happy people live longer. Previous studies have linked happiness to longevity but researchers now say there\u2019s no such scientific connection. So while being sick makes you unhappy, just being grouchy isn\u2019t enough to make you ill or shorten your life.<\/p>\n
The results are based on questionnaires from more than 715,000 British women aged 50 to 69 who were enrolled in a national breast cancer screening program in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n
The women were asked things like how often they felt happy and how healthy they were. Nearly 40 percent of the women said they were happy most of the time while 17 percent said they were unhappy. After a decade of tracking the women, 4 percent had died.<\/p>\n
Scientists found the death rate among unhappy women was the same as those who were happy. The research was published online Wednesday in the medical journal Lancet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a common belief that stress and unhappiness causes death and disease but it\u2019s actually the other way around,\u201d said Richard Peto, a professor at the University of Oxford who was one of the study\u2019s authors. \u201cPeople should focus on the real issues that shorten their lives, like smoking and obesity.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an accompanying commentary, French scientists suggested that the results might not be the same in men, since \u201cmen and women probably define happiness differently.\u201d The researchers said the latest paper was the biggest-ever to evaluate happiness and noted it accounted for potential confounding factors. Some previous studies among older adults have found that women were grumpier than men.<\/p>\n
Peto said the pursuit of happiness is still worthwhile, even if it doesn\u2019t extend your life.<\/p>\n
\u201cHappiness is very nice,\u201d said Peto, who was relieved to have finished the study after two decades. \u201cI had some of it myself when I was young.\u201d<\/p>\n
But not everyone was convinced by the study\u2019s conclusions.<\/p>\n
Hazel Newton, 69, said she believed having a positive attitude was instrumental to her recovery from a stroke several years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been a glass half-full kind of person and I think that helps keep you healthy,\u201d Newton said while enjoying a day of shopping in London with her sister.<\/p>\n
The Sheffield native said it\u2019s important to consciously decide to be happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always have to enjoy every day,\u201d she said. \u201cYou never know what\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Online:<\/p>\n
\nhttp:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(15)01087-9\/abstract<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"