A new study has shown that people who are satisfied with what they have are less likely to experience a heart attack or stroke. The results of the research were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Our findings support a holistic approach to health care, where improving a person’s mental and emotional well-being is seen as an integral part of preventing heart disease and stroke,” said senior study author Wen Sung, deputy director of the Stroke Center at Hefei University of Science and Technology in China.
To conduct the research, scientists analyzed data from more than 120,000 participants in Biobank, a large-scale medical database in Great Britain.
The participants completed questionnaires in which they assessed their well-being based on satisfaction with family, friendships, health, finance, and overall happiness.
Scientists have linked people’s well-being to the risk of developing four main cardiovascular diseases. The results showed that individuals with the highest well-being scores had:
- A 44% reduced risk of hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
- A 45% reduced risk of stroke.
- A 51% reduced risk of heart failure.
- A 56% reduced risk of heart attack.
