A team of British researchers have made the not so startling discovery that middle-aged people who are happy seem to have a reduced risk of disease. The study, which is being published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, make a case for linking a positive sense of well-being with bodily functions that work to prevent cardiovascular disease, autoimmune deficiencies, and other stress-related ailments.

Dr. Andrew Steptoe, author of the study, wrote, 'There's a direct link between how we're feeling and the biological processes which relate to illness and illness risk.' He believes that people who retain a positive state of mind, have a much better outlook for their future health.

The study considered a group of 216 men and women between the ages of 45 and 59. All of these people lived in the greater London area and were employed as civil servants. Prior to the commencement of the study, all of the participants underwent medical examinations and were found to be in good physical health and had no history of high blood pressure or other cardiovascular disease.

The study group were then given stress tests and asked questions relating to their mental health. Samples of their blood was collected before and after the stress tests were administered. Then, each individual was fitted with a portable monitor to record their blood pressure and heart rate ever twenty minutes for an entire day. Additionally, each of the participants was asked to record where they were, what they were doing and how they were feeling at the time of each reading. Their level of happiness was rated on a scale of one to five.

The researchers noticed that the people who had the lowest levels of psychological stress based on the results of their testing, were the happiest. Age, income, gender or marital status had no affect on the level of happiness. Happy people were content at work or at leisure, although, not surprisingly, being at home produced higher levels of happiness.

Physically, the happiest people had a 32 percent lower level of the stress level hormone cortisol. High levels of this hormone can lead to elevated blood pressure over time and this can be a precursor to other, serious health problems. Blood pressure itself did not seem to vary between the people deemed happy and those not, but a liver protein, plasma fibrinogen, did appear in much higher levels in the unhappier people. This protein works to assist in blood clotting but at higher levels it can lead to increased risk for heart disease.

Dr. Steptoe acknowledges that finding happiness is not always easy. He points out that, 'most of our sense of happiness seems to relate to having good relationships with family and friends, and that's not something that can be maintained without some investment of effort, and keeping an appropriate balance. That balance, of course, is going to be different for different people.'