Dr. Tim Hennessy, MD, is an internist who practices primary care medicine in Wilmington, Delaware. I met Dr. Hennessy more than a year ago when he consulted me for advice about publishing a book. I got on his e-newsletter list soon after, and, ever since, I have enjoyed reading his monthly blogs. Dr. Hennessy is the only person I know who can write about DNA in a way non-scientists such as myself can understand. He’s also one of the most chipper people I’ve ever met. Check out his blog at www.recalledtohealth.com and his upcoming book of the same name, and read what he says below about happiness and health.
Q: Do happier people live longer?
They do, and there are different thoughts about why this is the case. Unhappy people may simply make bad choices when it comes to health. They may eat poorly, not exercise, and have bad habits like excessive drinking or smoking. These all contribute to poor health, and, interestingly, they also can contribute to unhappiness.
Q: Are happy people born that way, or can an unhappy persona change his or her disposition?
Some people are born with better dispositions than others. They just seem happier from birth, but happiness is also influenced by your life choices and circumstances.
Q: What are the keys to happiness?
There are four broad categories that, taken together, allow someone to achieve to happiness: 1) health 2) companionship 3) work balance 4) freedom.
1) Health is probably the most important. It’s really hard to be happy when you are not healthy. To be healthy, you need to SEE: Sleep well, Eat well, and Exercise. Sleep is so critical. For example, many people think of depression as a mood disorder, but it may really be a sleep disorder. During the day the brain chemical serotonin keeps you alert. At night, it’s converted into melatonin, which induces sleepiness. If you don’t sleep well, your serotonin levels become unbalanced, which can lead to depression. New mothers don’t usually develop post-partum depression the day their babies are born. Rather, the condition tends to show up 6 weeks or so later, when mom’s sleep has been disrupted for many weeks.
What you eat is just as important. People who consume a diet rich in simple carbohydrates such as sugar tend to have rapid fluctuations in blood sugar, which can affect mood.
Many studies also show that people who exercise regularly tend to be happier than people who don’t.
2) As far as companionship, studies show that married people tend to be happier than singles. If you’re not married, close friendships and even pets can help build a sense of companionship. I once treated an 85-year-old man who was grieving the death of his wife. He was severely depressed. His daughters gave him a puppy, and, two months later, he was completely transformed.
3) For work balance, many people complain about working too much, but there’s also a such thing as working too little. Retirees often find they have too much time on their hands. If they work part time, however, they are a lot happier.
4) Finally, everyone needs the freedom to do what they want. Everyone needs a little “me time” everyday to watch TV, play sports, or do something else that they enjoy. You also need freedom in terms of time management. Stress arises from not having enough time to get everything done. Finally, you need financial freedom. This doesn’t mean you need to be wealthy to be happy, but you need to have enough money to cover your basic expenses.
Q: What is your personal recipe for happiness?
For me, time is the most critical thing. Time for myself and time for my family are most important. I love to go for bike rides with my kids or swimming at the beach. I have three children, so my “me time” usually comes around 11 at night, after they’ve gone to bed.
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I am a frequent reader of your blog posts. I liked the recent one and other posts on your blog so much that I have subscribed to the blog’s RSS feed in Thunderbird. Even thinking of stealing some ideas and put them to work. Keep all the good work going by posting more informative posts. Thank you. Time well spent on this post.
Sleep Disorders like sleep paralysis really disturbs me at night. I usually experience it when my throat gets dry.”‘,