Get Happy Without Pills

May 27, 2009 3:58 AM by Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and Michael F. Roizen, MD |

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You know that guy who is always up? He could have just been fired, but he sees the positive in it? Well, hang with him. Doesn’t matter whether you meet people like that for a walk in the morning or a glass of wine at night or you just pick up the phone and reach out. Happy friends benefit your mental health: Your chances of being happy increase by at least 15% if someone in your immediate social circle is happy.

Happiness seems to be contagious. If a friend who lives within a mile of you becomes happy, the probability that you’ll feel it, too, goes up by 25%. And, man, does that guy have a long arm: The happiness of a friend of a friend may push your mood up, too. Even a neighbor’s happiness may lift yours (and it’s not just because you both live in a nice neighborhood -- the researchers controlled for that). It’s possible that better moods depend more on frequent contact than on deep connections (though deep connections are important for your health, too). Workaholics, beware: Happiness isn’t contagious at work unless your best buddy works there.

Positive emotions can affect your health by changing the way your brain functions to reduce stress. So happiness -- and the friends who help bring it on -- helps cancel the risk of stress-related health problems, including heart disease and cancer. Of course, you’re not going to be happy 24/7, but there’s an upside to that. A little unhappiness helps give you wisdom and perspective, which ultimately gives you more happiness.