Here’s a case where quality means quantity: people who lack joy and don’t consider life worth living are likely to experience significantly shortened lifespans. These early deaths can come from suicide, but a generally unhappy outlook also increases the chance of death from heart disease and stroke. So says a study in Japan.

As much as studies focus on nutrition and supplements for improving longevity, the old proverb about happiness creating good health appears to be true. Love and joy are where it's at.

For seven years, over 43,000 men and women were studied and asked if they had joy in their lives. Those who said no were less likely to be married, employed, educated and were in worse health and chronic pain. These folks were more likely to die sooner than later. This begs the question: did the lack of joy cause the poor health and bad social life, or was it the other way around?

One thing is certain: life is better with joy. Exuding happiness attracts great people and opportunities into your life, thereby making life more wonderful. But experiencing a frequent state of joy shouldn't feel like a chore; the whole point is to increase pleasant thoughts and emotions. So, how to cultivate more joy in your life? Gratitude is a great place to start.

Source: Reuters

Image: daveparker