Study: enjoyment of life related to better aging

Living a life you enjoy can help you live not just a happier life, but a longer life.

New research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has shown that older citizens who rate their lives as having been enjoyable are also more likely to survive the next eight years.

The study, done at University College London in the U.K., had 3199 men and women aged 60 years or older complete a survey. The participants were divided into groups of those between the ages of 60-69, 70-79 and 80 or older. They were given a four question survey about how they would rank the enjoyment of their lives up to that point. The questions were ranked on a four-point scale. The researchers also did personal interviews with participants to assess if they had any physical impairments and test walking speed through gait assessments.

Those who ranked themselves as having lived happier lives showed slower declines in physical health over the following eight years and were less likely to die.

“This is not because the happier people are in better health, or younger, or richer, or have more healthy lifestyles at the outset, since even when we take these factors into account, the relationship persists,” said Andrew Steptoe, lead author of the study. “Our previous work has shown that older people with greater enjoyment of life are more likely to survive over the next eight years. What this study shows is that they also keep up better physical function.”

Other research has been done in the past that has also linked enjoyment of life with health and wellness. This seems to reinforce the idea that living a happy life will help you stay active and live longer.