Individuals who find joy, excitement, and contentment in their daily lives may be protected from cardiovascular disease, researchers found.
Higher levels of positive affect, a measure of happiness, were associated with a significantly lower risk of having a cardiovascular event over a 10-year period (P=0.02), according to Karina Davidson, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues.
The association remained significant even after accounting for negative emotions, including depression, anxiety, and hostility, they reported online in the European Heart Journal.
The findings suggest that strategies to prevent heart disease may be bolstered by increasing an individual's zest for life, they said, noting, however, that this observational data cannot be used to make practice recommendations.