The link between happiness and health: a review of concepts, pathways and strategies for enhancing well-being

Abstract

Background. Recent years have seen a significant body of research independently associating the presence of happiness and well-being with a lower risk of mortality and with an improved physical and mental health status, which presents a relevant impact on public health. Nonetheless, there are still gaps in literature, and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Objectives. This paper reviews literature regarding the main concepts and measurements associated with well-being, discussing pathways that link happiness to health and compiling strategies to improve it. Material and methods. A narrative literature review was performed gathering the most relevant articles concerning concepts, definitions and measurements associated with well-being, as well as regarding pathways and mechanisms that link happiness to health. The concepts and definitions associated with happiness and well-being are discussed, and common constructs related to the latter are then considered. Additionally, the available methods to measure happiness and well-being, and their limitations, are analysed. Results. The main pathways that link mental to physical well-being include: 1) neurobiological processes, 2) the indirect impact on health behaviours, 3) the promotion of protective psychosocial resources and 4) stress buffering effects. Conclusions. Happiness and well-being play a major role on human’s health, and many features and dimensions may be involved in this relationship. Public health measures should focus on upstream determinants of health and well-being, but more research is needed in order to fill in some gaps, such as the variety of available instruments to address, evaluate and promote efficient intervention.