News flash: Happiness Equals Health
Stop the presses! A research team from University College, London, England, reported yesterday that happiness leads to lower levels of stress-inducing chemicals. They found that even when happier people experienced stress, they had low levels of a chemical which increases the risk of heart disease. Gee, ya think?
Far be it from me to poke fun at the discovery, but please excuse me while I poke fun at the discovery. It took this college brain trust years to learn this? I bet your momma told you the same thing, and often.
Seriously, the study, just published in the National Academy of Sciences' Proceedings, tracked a hemo-related chemical called plasma fibrinogen and consistently found that those who were happy less often had higher levels in their bloodstreams. In addition, levels of cortisol - a stress hormone - were more than 32 percent lower in people who reported more happy moments. Cortisol has been related to abdominal obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and auto-immune disorders.
I don't know about you, but my home life is relatively stress-free:
- I'm a widower, live alone, and enjoy it - [check];
- Kids are grown, gone, and undemanding - [check];
- I am not burdened with pesky financial woes - [check].
Ahh, all happy, life-is-good check marks.
But wait a minute - it's work where I run into the barbed wire and Claymores. How do you avoid stress and headline as a mirth-maker in emergency preparedness, a 24/7 profession that never shuts down? And how do you stay upbeat and filled with frivolity when all you do is plan for and recover from disasters? Employee awards? Don't make me laugh (do such things exist?)! The feeling you get from helping others and sharing their pain? Mother Teresa I'm not.
Nope, I might as well face it ... short of a tidy, unlooked-for Lotto windfall, I'm afraid my body will be working overtime to produce plasma fibrinogen and cortisol for the next few years. Fortunately, the job includes great medical benefits.