Enjoyment of life lenghtens life: Findings and consequences

textabstractThe issue: It is widely acknowledged that mental factors may influence physical functioning and that psychological well-being works positively on physical health. This idea does not only live among adherents of holistic medicine, it also has a firm root in academic psychology. There is good evidence for the negative effects of mental distress on physical health, e.g. on depression, anxiety and hostility, and there are also indications of the beneficial effects of positive mental states, such as positive affect (Zautra, 2003)