Health Benefits of Happiness

Happiness is contagious AND "People's happiness depends on the happiness of others with whom they are connected ... seeing happiness, like health, as a collective phenomenon."
- James H. Fowler, Nicholas A. Christakis, . Based on research, "Dynamic spread of happiness in large
social network: longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study.

The quality of the friendships in your life are the best predicators of daily happiness and life satisfaction and have profound implications for your physical health and longevity.
- Tom Rath, Vital Friends: The People You Can't Afford to Live Without

What makes us happy? "...the most salient characteristics shared by the 10% of students with the highest levels of happiness and the lowest signs of depression were their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time with them." - Edward Diener, a.k.a. Dr. Happiness

The single most important thing you can do to increase your level of health, wealth and success in your life is to increase your level of happiness. - Marci Shimoff, author, Happy For No Reason

Social time spent with friends and family is one of the strongest determinants of happiness, more so than outside factors such as financial worry. - Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index
 

Health Benefits of Friendship

Friendship accounts for approximately 70% of overall marital satisfaction. “The quality of a couple’s friendship” was found to be five times as important as “physical intimacy.”
- Tom Rath, Vital Friends: The People You Can’t Afford to Live

The more friends women had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they age, and the more likely they were to be leading a joyful life.
- Gale Berkowitz based on The Nurses Health Study, Harvard Medical School

The actions of hugging, listening, sharing, connecting and celebrating life with friends decreases the stress hormone cortisol and, in women, increases the feel-good hormone and “friendship elixir,” oxytocin.
- Shelley E. Taylor, author, The Tending Instinct

“Loneliness is a major contributor to premature death in this country.”
- Dr. James J. Lynch, author, The Broken Heart: The Medical Consequences of Loneliness

Forty-two percent of dog owners say companionship or friendship is the main reason why they own a dog.
- Gallup Poll, Companionship and Love of Animals Drive Pet Ownership
 

Health Benefits of Laughter and Humor

Just the anticipation of mirth reduces the levels of three stress hormones, cortisol, epinephrine and dopac.
- Dr. Lee Berk

One hundred laughs is the aerobic equivalent of ten minutes spent rowing.
- Dr. Stephen Post, Why Good Things Happen to Good People

Laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being.
-Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan, Loma Linda University in California

The average person laughs 15 times a day.
- American Averages

According to the United Nations International Labor Organization "Stress has become one of the most serious health issues of our times." The quickest, most effective way to beat stress is literally to laugh it off. - Larry Wilde, Founder, National Humor Month
 

Health Benefits of Kindness, Goodness and Giving

Stress-related health problems improve after performing kind acts. Helping reverses feelings of depression, supplies social contact, and decreases feelings of hostility and isolation that can cause stress, overeating, ulcers, etc. A drop in stress may, for some people, decrease the constriction within the lungs that leads to asthma attacks.
- Luks, Allan, The Healing Power of Doing Good

Generous behavior reduces adolescent depression and suicide risk. Teens who are giving, hopeful, and socially effective, are also happier, more active, involved, excited, challenged and engaged than their teen counterparts.
- Dr. Stephen Post, Why Good Things Happen To Good People
 

Health Benefits of Smiles

“Seeing a smile creates what is termed as a ‘halo’ effect, helping us to remember other happy events more vividly, feel more optimistic, more positive and more motivated.”
- Dr. David Lewis, author, One Minute Stress Management

A smile gives the same level of stimulation as eating 2,000 chocolate bars!
- The British Dental Health Foundation

“There is a link between optimistic attitudes and good health. It has been measured in a variety of ways. Overall, we have found that optimistic people are healthier. Their biological makeup is different. They have a more robust immune system.”
- Christopher Peterson, Ph.D., Editor, Coaching Towards Happiness Newsletter
 

The Amazing Health Benefits of Paws: Pups & Purrs

Dog owners walked an average of 300 minutes a week compared to 168 minutes for those without a dog.
- HealthyWomen.org

Interacting and petting animals creates a hormonal response in humans that can help fight depression.
- News-Medical.net

Research shows that more is better with the households with multiple pets (cats & dogs) showing lower allergic responses.
– Journal of the American Medical Association

Studies show that the sound of a cat’s purr keeps their bones strong – and strengthens the bones of their companions. - www.tesh.com
 

Pet owners have fewer minor health problems.
- Friedmann, 1990, Serpel, 1990

70% of families surveyed reported an increase in family happiness and fun after getting a pet.
- Cain, 1985

A pet can serve as an emotional refuge, a patient listener and a connective tissue that gives the family, no matter its trials, a sense of purpose and belonging.
- Dr. Marty Becker with Danielle Morton, The Healing Power of Pets

Heart attack sufferers who owned pets had a four times better chance of surviving one year.
- Lynch, Katcher and Friedmann

Celebrate friendship by giving your friends something to laugh, giggle, sigh and feel GREAT about receiving and you’ll give yourself something to smile BIG about too. To order Friendship Card Packs for yourself, or as gifts for your friends, click here.

Packs are also available to use as fund-raisers for your favorite organization. For more information, please contact Viveca Stone-Berry via e-mail at: VSB@DogCaptions.com Put "Fundraiser" in the subject line.

A minimum of 25% of every sale is contributed to dog and cat rescue organizations.

 

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