Many of us strive for great success, while others obsess over being extremely healthy and fit. And of course, some of us strive for both success and healthy living.

During our ongoing quest for great success and extended healthy living, many of us forget the main reason for this life-long pursuit, which is happiness. Unfortunately, many of us fail to realize that happiness is a vital supporter and accelerator for any achievement in life including success and the quality of our physical and mental health.

Within the past couple of decades, research in psychology and neuroscience have shown that people with a positive psychological well-being are generally healthier, live longer and acquire greater levels of success in life.

Happiness Supports Health

Studies have shown that those who experience happiness most of the time and are generally satisfied with their life, experience better physical and mental health. They are also less likely to experience long-term health conditions. Here are just some of the health benefits of happiness.

Heart Health – People who are generally happy appear to have healthier hearts, even those genetically at risk for heart disease. One primary factor is that they have healthier heart rate patterns which maintain good blood pressure and reduce the risk of coronary artery disease.

Combats Stress – Happy people tend to deal with stress much better than their unhappy counterparts. They are less prone to stress and they often recover from stressful situations much quicker. This is significant considering that stress creates havoc on a psychological level and causes numerous biological changes that negatively affect the body.

Being happy allows for better deflection and management of stress. Subsequently, this reduces the risk for further health problems such as obesity, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, depression and so on.

Stronger Immune System – Many studies have shown that people with a positive psychological well-being appear to have a stronger immune system. They have a higher white blood cell and T cell count which protects the body from infectious diseases, viruses and harmful bacteria. Genuinely happy people are less likely to be inflicted with long-term disease and disability. Additionally, they generally experience fewer colds and flus and experience quicker recovery from such ailments.

Promotes Longevity –  There should be no surprise that happiness greatly extends our longevity. There have been numerous advanced studies in the fields of psychology and cell biology that strongly suggest the correlation between happiness and longevity.

When we maintain a positive psychological well-being, it reduces strain on our bodies and strengthens our immune system and our psyche which allows it to better deal with stress and other factors that negatively reduce our health span and longevity.

It’s important to realize that happiness is about maintaining a positive psychological well-being. It’s about having an intelligent and positive approach to managing your life. Happiness is not about neglecting your health or other problem areas and expecting everything to be fine.

 Happiness Supports Success

Those who are generally happy and have a greater positive well-being tend to be more successful in life than their unhappy counterparts. Typically, it’s because they are less likely to become distracted by negative emotions such as worry, stress, anger, frustration, resentment toward others and so on.

Happier people usually experience greater optimism and confidence in knowing what they want and knowing that they can achieve it.  This in turn, fuels a drive and determination toward achievement which drastically increases the chances for success.

Additionally, those with a positive disposition generally have better focus and a higher level of creativity. This gives them a competitive advantage for problem-solving and coping with unique challenges.

Happier people have a greater chance of acceptance by employers, co-workers or potential business partners which are vital for professional interaction. This type of acceptance and interaction is necessary for efficiency, productivity, promotions, and of course networking. Networking provides the exchange of relevant information that is needed for optimum success.

In his book “The Happiness Advantage”, Shawn Achor explains this perception in detail and with further clarity. Shawn explains that by changing our mindset to be more positive oriented, we achieve a competitive edge for success in all areas of our lives.

Social Interaction And Networking

Sociology has taught us that the feeling of happiness promotes sociability. It generates a desire to be more sociable, to seek opportunities to interact and make connections with others.

Those with a positive disposition have greater success for achieving social acceptance, and from a wider range of different personalities.

They usually have better quality interactions with others resulting in more friendships as well as better quality friends who provide true social support. These friendships are usually more reliable and they share higher quality opinions and life-enhancing knowledge. This higher level of association provides greater support in the pursuit of better health, success, and happiness

Enjoy The Journey

Be happier, enjoy the world of happiness and experience the benefits of possessing a positive psychological well-being. Your internal happiness will allow you to improve your overall performance and success in all areas of life including health and wealth.

Without the resistance of negative thinking, your happiness will allow you to better understand, feel and appreciate both the simpler and finer things that life has to offer. Happiness will allow you to properly evaluate, optimize and balance all aspect of your life. Your happiness will enhance and refine your capability of achieving the optimum lifestyle.

Be happy, healthy and successful, and most importantly, enjoy the journey of your life.