Researchers analyzing 16 years of data from 123 countries discovered that life satisfaction below 2.7 on a 10-point scale provides no protection against deaths from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and respiratory illness. Above this threshold, each 1% increase in well-being reduces premature mortality by 0.43%. The study used nearly 2,000 country-year observations from 2006 to 2021, ranging from Afghanistan scoring 2.2 to Nordic countries near 8. Below 2.7 points, happiness showed no connection to survival rates. Once countries exceeded this level, higher happiness consistently predicted lower death rates with no upper ceiling found. However, obesity and alcohol consumption increased mortality at all happiness levels, meaning lifestyle factors remain important regardless of well-being scores. (Story URL)
PHONE TOPIC: How has your happiness rating change through your life?
