There is a strong link between health and happiness. Studies indicate that happy people have stronger immune systems, which means they are less likely to get colds, recover more quickly from surgery, cope better with pain, have lower blood pressure, and have a longer life expectancy than unhappy people.
Conversely, studies show that a person's health is one of the strongest predictors of happiness...meaning if we believe we are healthy, we tend to be happier. This is supported by several studies suggesting that people in poor health -- including those with life-threatening diseases, such as cancer or life-altering disabilities -- are often just as happy as those in good health.
Meanwhile, those who believe they are in poor health tend to be unhappier in almost every aspect of life: independence, self-image, personal relationships, and having the ability to work and carry out basic daily activities.
A 2012 issue of the Journal of Happiness Studies shares the first study concluding that chronic pain and other disruptive conditions do interfere with happiness. After taking into consideration other factors associated with happiness, such as economic status, poor health was closely linked to unhappiness only in people who reported that their health status interfered with their daily lives.
This makes sense when we consider that working toward meaningful life goals is one of the most important strategies happy people utilize. [Gallagher, M.W., & Lopez, S.J. 2009.]
Not only is health important to people's happiness, but it also turns out to be very valuable. Read a research paper from the International Journal of Epidemiology that estimates how much a change in health could mean in terms of dollars.
To increase both your health and your happiness, you may want to take the Real Age Test. The test is a unique calculation of your body's health age created by popular doctors, including Dr. Mike Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz.