New study reveals three common foods linked to higher happiness levels
The study found that certain foods were linked to higher levels of happiness, life satisfaction and overall well-being in middle-aged and older adults
What you consume can significantly influence your happiness, according to scientists, and the key ingredients might be right there in your kitchen.
Researchers have found that middle-aged and older adults who consume more fish, vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats experience higher levels of happiness, life satisfaction, and overall well-being.
However, the scientists did acknowledge some inconsistencies in the evidence, indicating that further research is required to directly link these foods to increased happiness.
Published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, the findings could still offer guidance on how diet can enhance well-being. Socio-economics, demographics, and other health aspects also play a role in well-being, which complicates the research.
Most previous studies have focused on how dietary changes can reduce negative feelings like depression, but the impact on positive feelings hasn't been explored as extensively. This is what the researchers were investigating, analysing how food affected three types of well-being:
- Eudenomic - having meaning, purpose and personal growth
- Hedonic - having happiness and positive emotions
- Evaluative - having life satisfaction
The study analysed data from the 2018-2019 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, which involved adults aged 50 and over. This specific study examined 3,103 participants after making certain exclusions, reports the Mirror.
The study measured participants' dietary intake of fruits, vegetables, polyunsaturated fats and fish on two random days, with results adjusted to account for factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, wealth, education, living situation, social isolation, long-standing illnesses and depressive symptoms.
Foods 'linked to well-being'
On average, participants consumed two portions of fruit and vegetables per day and derived around 2.5% of their daily energy from polyunsaturated fats, according to News Medical. This is less than the recommended five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day and 6.5% of polyunsaturated fats.
More than half of the participants reported not eating fish on the two random days. The consumption of fish was found to have a significant impact on happiness, even after adjusting for depressive symptoms.
Fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, had a strong link to eudemonic well-being, but this became "non-significant" when depressive symptoms were taken into account. Polyunsaturated fats - found in foods like oily fish, nuts and seeds - showed weaker and less consistent links to improving happiness.
The scientists concluded, acknowledging some variations in the results: "First, different types of food are differentially associated with well-being. For instance, fruit and vegetables (are) associated with all domains but strongest with eudemonic well-being.
"Fish is associated with happiness independently of depressive symptoms; polyunsaturated fats are associated with eudemonic well-being and happiness to a certain extent, but not life satisfaction.
"This suggests the possibility that different foods offer different nutritional benefits that may impact psychological health differently. It also suggests the need for further research to investigate what makes specific foods beneficial for psychological well-being, as the results do not support the likelihood that all healthy diets have the same influence.
"Furthermore, fruit and vegetables appear to have the strongest link to positive well-being compared with other types of dietary intake."
Researchers emphasised that whilst this investigation remains "at an early stage", it still indicates that diet influences well-being, and promoting changes such as boosting fruit, vegetable and fish consumption could enhance well-being. However, they stressed the necessity for additional research to validate these findings and reach more definitive conclusions.
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