Is the sense of trust and expectation, joy and enthusiasm towards life that we have (or do not have) as adolescents capable of influencing our future health or not? In these times of widespread malaise that emerged after the pandemic among young people from all over the planet, the question is particularly legitimate. And the answer seems pretty clear: Yes, happy teenagers are more likely to be healthier adults, both physically and mentally. In fact, a study published in the journal PLOS Medicine and Eric Kim e Renae Wilkinson from Harvard University and their other colleagues, shows that boys and girls who experience the so-called positive affect (which does not exactly mean happiness, but which corresponds to something very similar to it, namely a set of pleasant emotions, joy, calm, enthusiasm, desire for interactions with the world) can actually enjoy a net gain in terms of health physically and mentally as adults.
A lesson in happiness: strategies for seeing life ‘in pink’ by Deborah Ameri 20 March 2024
The study on 10 thousand adolescents
That the adults who experience what it means positive affect are more likely to engage in healthier behaviors and run less risk of chronic diseases has been clear for years, but data on adolescents obtained from longitudinal studies (that is, following groups of people over time) are limited. Although adolescence is a key period, a real turning point for directing people towards a healthier life path, as also pointed out by the public health experts, psychologists and epidemiologists who signed the study. To help fill this information gap, they interviewed 10,000 adolescents on their health, satisfaction and behaviors. Participants were aged 15 at the start of the study in the 1990s and aged 28 or 37 at the final assessments.
A teenager who feels loved will have better cardiovascular health as an adult by Federico Mereta January 18, 2023
Happiness and health measured on 41 indicators
The association between happiness and health was measured based on 41 outcomes relating to physical health (such as any diagnosis of cancer, cholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes), behaviors (such as cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, marijuana use, of illegal substances), mental health (such as anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, diagnosis of ADHD), psychological well-being (such as optimism, satisfaction with work, feeling of control over one’s life), sociability and prosociality (such as quality of romantic relationships, satisfaction with the relationship with parents, loneliness, participation in voluntary activities, elections). Net of variables that could have influenced the results, the authors found that adolescents with greater increases in terms of positive affect over time were those who obtained higher scores in most of the 41 indicators: for example, they fell ill less, or engaging in risky behaviors less often. But one of the most evident impacts of happiness on health has been observed in the field of mental health, where positive affect has been associated with a lower probability of attention disorders and hyperactivity disorder, and of anxiety, depression and stress.
What the research says
So what does the research tell us? First of all, designing interventions that promote the happiness of our children and grandchildren means achieving long-term health outcomes in future generations. But it also says something else, not so much to ordinary citizens, but to political decision makers. “Several major organizations such as the OECD, WHO and the United Nations are supporting the idea that countries should take into account not only economic indicators but also well-being indicators when designing their policies,” the authors said. , remembering that providing interventions that improve mental well-being and increase the sense of satisfaction and happiness of adolescents improves the health/well-being trajectory of the adults that those children will become, with also an economic advantage for the future.
Is there an age to be happy? Surprisingly, serenity arrives at 40 years of age by Paola Emilia Cicerone 30 October 2023
What the data reveal
While science invites us to reflect on the relationship between the happiness of young people and the health of adults, according to the International Organization for Migration, one in 7 people between the ages of 10 and 19 suffers from mental disorders in the world, as emerged on the occasion of the 17th International Training Seminar in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry promoted by Child Foundation e Blue Telephone which was held in early March. In Europe, 9 million adolescents are struggling with mental health problems, mainly with depression, anxiety and behavioral disorders. Suicide is the leading cause of death between the ages of 15 and 19. The Italian situation is illustrated by the latest survey carried out by Telefono azzurro with the support of BVA Doxa: it says that 20% of adolescents are victims of anxiety, and a third of them are ashamed to ask for help.