Day 210
Contrarily to common belief, happiness is not something that will suddenly appear after you reach some goal, whether it's money, a promotion, a boyfriend or a child. You need to work at it intensely every single day of your life. Sure, some people have a happier disposition than others and so are naturally happier on a daily basis, but life is full of obstacles, even for those who were born with the "happy gene".
Working on happiness will make your life more enjoyable, but it will also allow you to live longer, according to a comprehensive review of more than 160 studies, conducted by Ed Diener, psychology professor at the University of Illinois and published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being.
The study reveals compelling evidence of the fact that having positive emotions like optimism and joy as opposed to negative emotions such as anger, stress or depression, can have an impact on the health and longevity of an individual.
I'm always reluctant when it comes to beliefs that make people responsible for their ill health. Unhappiness alone cannot be responsible for all the diseases in the world.
However, our society spends a lot of money and time trying to prevent illnesses by lauching awareness campaigns on healthy eating, the importance of exercising and the negative impact of smoking. Why not promote happiness? Especially that individual happiness has a true impact on society. Happy people are more creative, productive, influence the level of happiness of those around them, etc.
So, let's keep on working at being more optimistic, have goals, find purpose and develop relationships! In the end, if everyone works at trying to get happier, we indirectly all benefit from it!
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