Study: Happiness is good for you and your career

Being happy is good for you, and for your career, and for the people around you, according to the results of a recent study of women in a London university.

Being happy, or to be more accurate, having a mostly happy or positive outlook on life does good things for your physical health. It reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular problems. It keeps the beneficial hormones flowing and minimizes the secretion of stress-related hormones that can cause Type II diabetes and other unpleasant conditions such as digestive problems, sleeplessness and general irritability. An unhappy or negative attitude encourages unhealthy excesses such as overeating, too much drinking and too much sleeping.

Being happy or positive gives you an edge at work. Because you feel better, you’re likely to be more productive and more creative. You also help make the workplace a cheerier, less tense environment. And that’s good for everyone. People with a positive attitude make other people feel better about themselves. And that spreads the happiness factor even further.

But can you be positive on demand, especially if you have to deal with life’s often unavoidable problems or tragedies?

The answer is, to a great extent, yes. One of the reasons we often feel battered by our problems is that we don’t confront them. They pile up and weigh us down. Dealing with them makes all the difference. For example, parents who cooperate in the treatment for their sick or handicapped children tend to be remarkably upbeat considering their situation. That’s because they’ve chosen to fight back, and not be overwhelmed by their difficulties.

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NOTE TO GINA: Change your lawyer if you feel he’s not giving your case the attention it deserves. And never mind what he might think of you if you drop his services: If anything, he’ll respect you.