Healthy happiness: effects of happiness on physical health and the consequences for preventive health care

Veenhoven, R.

doi:10.1007/s10902-006-9042-1

Table 1 Happiness and longevity: 11 follow-up studies in patient populations

From: Healthy happiness: effects of happiness on physical health and the consequences for preventive health care

Subjects	N	Follow-up	Measure of happiness	Control variables	Observed effect	Source
Breast cancer patients	35	1 year	Affect balance scale	None	Negative	Derogatis (1979)
					Dead: M = 2.01
					Alive: M = 1.27
					Difference: p < 05
Inhabitants old age home for veterans	668	2 years	Single question on life satisfaction	Age, baseline health and health behaviour	Positive	Kao et al (2005)
		2001–2003			OR = 1.4 unhappy
					OR = 8.9 very unh.
Aged residents nursing home: chronically ill	193	2 years	Life Satisfaction Index (LSI)		No difference	Reynolds and Nelson (1981)
Aged residents nursing home: chronically ill	193	1977–1978	Life Satisfaction Index (LSI)		No difference	Reynolds and Nelson (1981)
Aged residents nursing home Massachusetts, USA	30	2.5 years	Six questions about satisfaction with life	Age, baseline health	Negative:	Janoff-Bulmanand Marshall (1982)
					Dead: M = 27.2
					Alive: M = 21.9
					p < .05
					Difference: p < .05
21–80 aged heart patients Massachusetts, USA	3,375	3 years	Single question on life satisfaction	Age, baseline functional health and treatment	No effect	Konstam et al. (1996)
			Single question on life satisfaction		RR = 1.052 ns
			Single question: ladder of life ‘now’		Positive
			Single question: ladder of life ‘now’		RR = .92 p < .002
Early stage melanoma patients Sydney, Australia	426	1–6 years	Single question on mood	Baseline disease variables, coping style and concerns	Negative	Brown et al. (2000)
		1991–1997			HR = 1.02
					CI95: 1.00–1.03
65–96 aged residents of nursing homes Montreal, Canada	129	4 years	Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)	Age, gender and baseline health (objective and subjective)	No effect	O’Connor and Vallerand (1998)
					HR = .79
					r = −.08 ns
End-stage renal disease patients Calgary, Canada	97	4 years	Affect Balance Scale	Age, co-morbidity, number of leisure activities	No effect	Devinds et al. (1990)
			Affect Balance Scale		r = +.00 ns
			Single question on Life happiness		No effect
			Single question on Life happiness		partial r = −.17 ns
Elderly (mean 79) living in institution, Newfoundland, Canada	156	5 years	Happiness (MUNSH)	Age, activity, religiosity, perceived health	Negative	Stones, Dorman, and Kozma (1989)
			Happiness (MUNSH)		1.2% explained variance
			Questions on recent happiness		Negative
			Questions on recent happiness		2% explained variance
Breast cancer patients: with relapse	36	7 years	Positive affect (Joy)	Age, baseline health, prognosis, time before relapse	Positive	Levy et al. (1988)
Breast cancer patients: with relapse	36	7 years	Positive affect (Joy)	Age, baseline health, prognosis, time before relapse	B = +.20	Levy et al. (1988)
Spinal cord injured >2 years after accident	345	11 years	General satisfaction factor	Biographic variables	Positive	Krause, Lottes, and Sternberg (1997)
Spinal cord injured >2 years after accident	345	1985–1996	General satisfaction factor	Biographic variables	OR = 1.99	Krause, Lottes, and Sternberg (1997)

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