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The 8 Best Things We Learned Last Year

The editors of Prevention share their favorite weight loss, nutrition and fitness lessons from 2011
By The Editors at Prevention prevention
 

Lesson #5: Happiness could be the fountain of youth

“Although medicine is becoming increasingly high-tech and our ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat illness continues to grow, there remains a huge mystery around longevity,” says contributing editor Holly Phillips, MD. “What is that intangible ‘it factor’ that makes some people live to 101, and other seemingly healthy people pass away much earlier?”

Happy Foods That Won’t Make You Gain

Dr. Phillips points to new research that helps us quantify an important but illusive contributor to our overall health: happiness. In a study of 3,853 people ages 52 to 79 years old, those who were the most upbeat were 35% less likely to die in the next five years—even when taking into account socioeconomic status and pre-existing health conditions, according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Experts aren’t exactly sure how happiness can help extend your life exactly, but speculate one reason may be that positive mood lowers the overall level of stress hormones in your body (stress hormones such as cortisol have been linked with speeding the aging process).

2 Minutes to a Happier You
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