It’s something we already guessed, but it’s nice to have it confirmed: cheerful and optimistic people are far less likely to suffer a heart attack. In fact, being happy reduces your risk of suffering from any heart condition by up to 50 per cent.
All the positive moods-from happiness, being relaxed, energetic and generally feeling good about your life-play a big part in determining whether you will suffer cardiovascular disease and a heart attack. To discover just how positive an effect these feelings have, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine tracked the health of 1,483 people whose siblings had suffered from a heart problem before the age of 60.
According to genetics, a sibling of a heart patient is twice as likely to develop the condition compared to someone with a healthy brother or sister. But the risk disappeared among the siblings who had a happy outlook on life. Overall, their risk fell by one-third, but it fell to 50 per cent if their sibling was at the highest risk of a heart attack through age, smoking or diabetes.
(Source: American Journal of Cardiology, 2013; doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2013.05.055).
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