The happiest people outlived those who were miserable
The argument that positive wellbeing could – and should – be used in the fight against bad health and stress has been highlighted by a UK study*. Scientists from the University College of London have found that the happiest people, who have a more positive outlook, are 35 per cent less likely to die in the short term than those who are miserable.
While many existing studies already show that happy people are healthier, this study is unique because the participants were accurately reporting their mood in real time rather than recollecting them at a later date which can prove unreliable.
In the mood The study was based on 3,853 people in total aged between 52 to 79. Using the ecological momentary assessment (EMA) method, they recorded their mood four times in one day – on waking, 30 minutes after waking, at 7pm and when they went to bed.
Each time, they rated the extent to which they felt happy, excited, content, worried, anxious or fearful on a scale of one to four. The first three feelings were combined and described as positive affect (PA) in the results.
The subjects were then divided into three groups based on their PA rankings – high, medium and low. After five years, the researchers followed up with the members of each group to record who had died during that time. Factors such as age, gender, depression, health and lifestyle – which might have influenced the results – were taken into account.
Don’t worry, be happy The group with the highest PA scores had a gradual increase in lifespan it was found. Only 3.6 per cent of the high-PA group had died during the five years. In contrast, 4.6 per cent in the middle bracket and 7.3 per cent in the lower third had died.
In short, the happiest people were 35 per cent less likely to die. Yet more negative emotions did not reverse the trend and had little influence on survival. “We were surprised that measures obtained over one single day might predict so strongly,” said lead author Andrew Steptoe in an article on the health-based website healthymagination.com. Other findings the website highlighted were:
- The happiest people were slightly younger and more likely to be male and married - Positive emotions overall were lowest at 7am and highest at 7pm - Ethnicity, paid employment, education and presence of serious disease made no significant difference to PA - Smoking was less common and physical activity higher among those with higher PAs - Happier people had higher opinions of their own health
However, Steptoe was keen to point out that the results don’t prove that happiness causes people to live longer. He told UK newspaper The Telegraph: “The happiness could be a marker of some other aspect of people’s lives which is particularly important for health. For example, happiness is quite strongly linked to good social relationships – maybe it’s things like that which are account for the link between happiness and health.”
He also suspects that biological processes could be at work: other studies have shown that positive moods reduce stress-related hormones and boost the immune system.
*Steptoe A and Wardle J. Positive affect measured using ecological momentary assessment and survival in older men and women. PNAS. Vol 108, no 45, November 2011
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2012 issue 2
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Interview: Darrell Metzger
Destination Resorts is creating world-class tourist developments in Malaysia on behalf of the government. Jennifer Harbottle speaks to the man heading it all up
Spa management training: The learning curve – part one
On the eve of a new GSWS study into the state of spa management training globally, we launch a three-part series to delve into our industry’s educational offering and operational needs. Rhianon Howells gets studying
US Hotel spa research: Closer look
Leonor Stanton analyses the findings from PKF’s latest Trends® in the Hotel Spa Industry study and gets the reaction of top spa professionals
Profile: Susie Ellis
SpaFinder Inc president and the face of the Global Spa & Wellness Summit talks to Rhianon Howells about the art of uncovering up-and-coming industry trends, ethics and the importance of innovation
Resort Spa: Dual purpose
Switzerland’s renown Dolder Grand Spa has an offering to satisfy its onsite, longer-staying guests as well as local day spa customers. Katie Barnes pays a visit to this standout facility
Design: Jean-Michel Gathy
The owner of Asia-based design company Denniston has worked on some of the world’s leading spas and resorts. Jennifer Harbottle finds out about his passion for creativity
Samui spotlight:
The second most popular Thai island has been transformed from a backpackers haven to a luxury lifestyle destination with a number of new five-star spa resorts. Neena Dhillon reports
Middle East benchmarks: Peaks & Troughs
Leonor Stanton reviews hotel spa performance in Lebanon, Jordan and Doha following the 2011 benchmark surveys recently released by PwC in the Middle East
Online wellness gaming: Game Changer
Scoreboards, socialisation, challenges, rewards and feedback – the compelling components of online gaming could be key to getting people to become healthy says Susie Ellis
Kuwait focus: Cue Kuwait
The first in a two-part series on the Kuwaiti spa market by Kate Cracknell focuses on the spa-goers in the capital and the new Six Senses Spa at the Hotel Missoni
Research: Happiness
Older adults who are the most content and have a more positive outlook are likely to live longer according to a new study based on 3,800 participants
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
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guests with precision and depth. [more...]
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
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The happiest people outlived those who were miserable
The argument that positive wellbeing could – and should – be used in the fight against bad health and stress has been highlighted by a UK study*. Scientists from the University College of London have found that the happiest people, who have a more positive outlook, are 35 per cent less likely to die in the short term than those who are miserable.
While many existing studies already show that happy people are healthier, this study is unique because the participants were accurately reporting their mood in real time rather than recollecting them at a later date which can prove unreliable.
In the mood The study was based on 3,853 people in total aged between 52 to 79. Using the ecological momentary assessment (EMA) method, they recorded their mood four times in one day – on waking, 30 minutes after waking, at 7pm and when they went to bed.
Each time, they rated the extent to which they felt happy, excited, content, worried, anxious or fearful on a scale of one to four. The first three feelings were combined and described as positive affect (PA) in the results.
The subjects were then divided into three groups based on their PA rankings – high, medium and low. After five years, the researchers followed up with the members of each group to record who had died during that time. Factors such as age, gender, depression, health and lifestyle – which might have influenced the results – were taken into account.
Don’t worry, be happy The group with the highest PA scores had a gradual increase in lifespan it was found. Only 3.6 per cent of the high-PA group had died during the five years. In contrast, 4.6 per cent in the middle bracket and 7.3 per cent in the lower third had died.
In short, the happiest people were 35 per cent less likely to die. Yet more negative emotions did not reverse the trend and had little influence on survival. “We were surprised that measures obtained over one single day might predict so strongly,” said lead author Andrew Steptoe in an article on the health-based website healthymagination.com. Other findings the website highlighted were:
- The happiest people were slightly younger and more likely to be male and married - Positive emotions overall were lowest at 7am and highest at 7pm - Ethnicity, paid employment, education and presence of serious disease made no significant difference to PA - Smoking was less common and physical activity higher among those with higher PAs - Happier people had higher opinions of their own health
However, Steptoe was keen to point out that the results don’t prove that happiness causes people to live longer. He told UK newspaper The Telegraph: “The happiness could be a marker of some other aspect of people’s lives which is particularly important for health. For example, happiness is quite strongly linked to good social relationships – maybe it’s things like that which are account for the link between happiness and health.”
He also suspects that biological processes could be at work: other studies have shown that positive moods reduce stress-related hormones and boost the immune system.
*Steptoe A and Wardle J. Positive affect measured using ecological momentary assessment and survival in older men and women. PNAS. Vol 108, no 45, November 2011
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2012 issue 2
Ask an expert...: overbuilding
Are large, extravagant spas and treatment rooms really sustainable? Or is it time to wise up about spa design? Katie Barnes reports
Interview: Darrell Metzger
Destination Resorts is creating world-class tourist developments in Malaysia on behalf of the government. Jennifer Harbottle speaks to the man heading it all up
Spa management training: The learning curve – part one
On the eve of a new GSWS study into the state of spa management training globally, we launch a three-part series to delve into our industry’s educational offering and operational needs. Rhianon Howells gets studying
US Hotel spa research: Closer look
Leonor Stanton analyses the findings from PKF’s latest Trends® in the Hotel Spa Industry study and gets the reaction of top spa professionals
Profile: Susie Ellis
SpaFinder Inc president and the face of the Global Spa & Wellness Summit talks to Rhianon Howells about the art of uncovering up-and-coming industry trends, ethics and the importance of innovation
Resort Spa: Dual purpose
Switzerland’s renown Dolder Grand Spa has an offering to satisfy its onsite, longer-staying guests as well as local day spa customers. Katie Barnes pays a visit to this standout facility
Design: Jean-Michel Gathy
The owner of Asia-based design company Denniston has worked on some of the world’s leading spas and resorts. Jennifer Harbottle finds out about his passion for creativity
Samui spotlight:
The second most popular Thai island has been transformed from a backpackers haven to a luxury lifestyle destination with a number of new five-star spa resorts. Neena Dhillon reports
Middle East benchmarks: Peaks & Troughs
Leonor Stanton reviews hotel spa performance in Lebanon, Jordan and Doha following the 2011 benchmark surveys recently released by PwC in the Middle East
Online wellness gaming: Game Changer
Scoreboards, socialisation, challenges, rewards and feedback – the compelling components of online gaming could be key to getting people to become healthy says Susie Ellis
Kuwait focus: Cue Kuwait
The first in a two-part series on the Kuwaiti spa market by Kate Cracknell focuses on the spa-goers in the capital and the new Six Senses Spa at the Hotel Missoni
Research: Happiness
Older adults who are the most content and have a more positive outlook are likely to live longer according to a new study based on 3,800 participants
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Barr + Wray Ltd Barr + Wray has more than 60 years’ experience in the design and delivery of world-class spa and wel [more...]
