Do happy people actually live longer?

Scientific litsketch on boosting mental health

Research shows that people who feel less satisfied with their life die earlier than others (Boehm et al., 2015). More importantly, a survey of more than 4,000 people every year over 9 years found that people who find it difficult to adapt to new circumstances and stressful events become more vulnerable to the risk of earlier death when they have low life satisfaction. People whose life satisfaction is very volatile over time, who are easily swayed by circumstances that when something good happens, they feel extremely happy but when something bad happens, they feel extremely unhappy are at greatest risk of earlier death.

So the key to protecting our body and mind as we grow older is to strengthen our ability to adapt. No matter what happens in life, believe that no one, no circumstance, no suffering or danger can take away the happiness that you have because of the love that you share and cherish with the people around you. 

Happiness is an effective medicine for a longer life.

Boehm, Julia K., Ashley Winning, Suzanne Segerstrom, and Laura D. Kubzansky. "Variability modifies life satisfaction’s association with mortality risk in older adults." Psychological Science 26, no. 7 (2015): 1063-1070.