Happiness and personalised nutrition
Are you happy? Ask any child that question when they get to choose their own ice cream on a hot day, or packing for a trip to go to the beach, and the answer will be a most definite screeching yes!, yet as we get older, we often forget to stop and ask ourselves (and those around us) whether we are truly happy. This article dives into the role of happiness or perceived happiness on our health.
What is happiness?
Happiness is a positive outcome that brings meaning to people and various sectors of society according to the (CDC). In fact, employees who are happy, are 13% more productive , which in the current climate of increased anxiety and stress could make a huge difference to businesses around the globe.
Ruut Veenhoven, a pioneer in empirical research on happiness defines happiness as “the degree to which an individual judges the overall quality of their life as a whole favourable.” This term is commonly used interchangeably with “wellbeing”, “quality of life” and “life satisfaction” as will be reflected in this article. Happiness is influenced by physical and mental health as well as endogenous (biological, cognitive, personality) and exogenous factors (health status, socio-demographic, behavioural factors, life events).
How is Happiness measured?
According to the Happiness Research Institute, the objective metric is the conventional metric used by institutions. This method is based on an evaluation of human society and analyzes the objective aspects of living a satisfactory life. It relies on observable data that reflects standard of living indicators and other material living conditions in the hope that if people live good lives they’ll be happy. However, this isn’t usually the case.
Economists and decision-makers often use macro-economic statistics such as growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a strong indicator of individual life satisfaction. A paper published by the Journal of Economic Report asserts that this is a weak indicator and therefore an unreliable tool for measuring well-being levels. For instance, China has one of the most remarkable poverty reduction rates and economic growth of all time. This increased wealth has however not translated into increased well-being levels, with a recent report demonstrating that life satisfaction levels are on a decline and suicide rates keep rising, reaching one of the highest in the world. Some of the developed countries that report the highest level of happiness include Finland and Denmark (Figure 1)
The subjective metric puts less focus on externalities and prioritizes each individual’s subjective evaluation and perception of their life satisfaction. It’s gathered through studies based on data collected by self-reported questionnaires. It accounts for the lived experiences of ordinary people and ensures that there is room for a holistic understanding of progress measured in terms of what matters most to people.
For an expert view on this important topic, we spoke to Catalina Cernica, CEO of the Health & Happiness Research Foundation, a Danish based non-profit that aims to drive the adoption of wellbeing-centric metrics in patient outcomes, healthcare resource allocation, and policy-making. She said “The World Happiness Report has identified 6 factors that partially explain the differences in happiness between countries. Some of these factors are things we’d all expect: level of income / GDP, access to health and healthy life expectancy, absence of corruption, and freedom; but there are some that are a testament to the fact that we’re all connected: social support and generosity.
And we should also mention that this is a relation of correlation; we don’t know which one is which. Are happy people healthier or health makes you happier? I’d say it’s both."
The Happiness Research Institute endorses the subjective metric stating that it promises to offer a new perspective — one that creates meaningful and enduring impacts on individual and societal wellbeing. Also, International organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recommend the incorporation of subjective measures at the core of institutional initiatives to inform decision-making by various institutions.
Happiness and health
Numerous studies provide compelling evidence on the importance of happiness for positive emotions and health outcomes — many of which you can find in the World Database of Happiness. It’s also not surprising that studies show that happy people generally live longer than less happy people as subjective well being is a solid predictor of good health and longevity.
Recent research also suggests that happiness has a positive correlation to personal growth and development, productivity, and creativity — all sources of personal fulfillment. In fact, a number of studies on happiness provide evidence that shows that it may act as a determinant of economic growth. Cernica agrees and said "“And on an individual level: we should care (about happiness) because we should be encouraged and learn how to think of our wellbeing in a holistic way; approach it as a “dashboard” with different aspects that all make our happiness: health, family, work, our communities.”
However, this view may be biased and not apply across the board, as evidence suggests that happiness differs by ethnicity according to a recent large study conducted in over 42 000 US adults. Findings include that Black adults with poor self-reported happiness were more likely to report happiness. In addition, whilst healthy White adults reported happiness, healthy Black adults did not do the same. In fact, another recent study observed that Black men who are highly educated with a high income were at an increased (not reduced) risk of depression. This disjointed link between health and happiness may be a result of ethnic, racial, and cultural perceptions of physical health on happiness, but it is an important reminder that just because you are healthy, does not automatically mean that you are happy.
Cernica points out that the WHO definition on health includes mental and social wellbeing, but "somehow we (the healthcare industry) ended up with a system that is fragmented, and where diseases and how we manage them are guided by frameworks focused mainly or exclusively at physical aspects of health, like mobility or pain. This approach ignores mental and social well being as important aspects of health.”
A wealth of studies show that the presence of a chronic condition (s) in a person has a negative correlation with subjective well being. Catalina explains that “many people with chronic health conditions have to deal with depression, anxiety, social stigma, low self-esteem. These can all take a serious toll on somebody’s overall wellbeing.” Another study analysing happiness in patients with skin conditions compared to healthy controls found that patients with skin diseases had lower levels of happiness. “Unfortunately, in healthcare we seem to care more about consumeristic measures of “patient satisfaction” than about the actual impact on improving people’s wellbeing.”
Happiness and disease prevention and digital health
Happiness has a positive connection with physical health with many studies providing a consistent positive link between happiness and disease prevention. The evidence suggests that chronic unhappiness activates the fight-flight response which puts individuals at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, stroke, lower immune response, and other chronic conditions in the long run.
There is also a significant association between happiness and positive healthy behaviors which reduce the long-term risk of disease development, exactly our aim in Personalized nutrition. Research shows that happy people are more likely to engage in physical activities, sleep more, eat more healthy meals, manage negative events better, build resilience, and make better life choices. As a result, these findings suggest that happiness may be a determinant for healthy behaviour.
“Digital can help people better manage their chronic conditions but we need to remember that digital should be a tool, not a destination. And we need to be aware of its limitations in building genuine human relationships. From my experience, the most successful programmes to support people living with chronic diseases are a mix of offline and online tools and interactions.”- Catalina Cernica
Happiness and nutrition
Based on the aforementioned, it would make sense to not only attempt to make people healthier and impact health outcomes through personalised nutrition advice, but simultaneously determine if personalised advice also leads to happiness. According to Catalina, the best personalised nutrition programmes recognize that healthy eating requires a broader framework for a positive health outcome — one that includes our relationship with food, behaviour change, a healthy lifestyle, and our ability to find the motivation to maintain these healthy habits.
She further explains that “happiness has the potential to offer this framework… as it puts the person and their wellbeing (in the bigger, bold sense of living a good life) at the centre of our care and health delivery.”
We agree that there is an opportunity to assess happiness as part of Personalised nutrition solutions that offer dietary and lifestyle recommendations. It will ensure that individuals get a complete solution tailored to their unique bodily needs and allows them to develop healthy behaviours that are necessary for the long term success of this solution.
Conclusion
At a critical time in our history when we re-evaluate our purpose, our values, and our goals for a healthy and fulfilled life, we as an industry need to consider our contribution to the happiness we bring to individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole. If we are truly dedicated to helping individuals live healthier lives, we need to think beyond food, sustainability, and mental health and consider the central role happiness plays in our overall health. We need to truly listen to how regional, racial, and cultural factors can affect our perception and pursuit of happiness. We need to develop solutions that are not just nice to have, but can fundamentally lead to a healthier and happier society as a measurable health outcome. At the end of the day, the goal of all health interventions is to promote a good life. And what good is life, if it isn’t good for the individual?
So ask yourself today, are you happy?
References
Ruut Veenhoven https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=V5d3q8cAAAAJ&hl=nl
Happiness research institute https://6e3636b7-ad2f-4292-b910-faa23b9c20aa.filesusr.com/ugd/928487_1595c32a127341f7a2769c624898dc6c.pdf
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https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%252Fs10902-006-9042-1