Do you really know｜快乐是否能让我们更不容易生病？

Does being happy make us less likely to get sick?

Laughter is the best medicine, so the old saying goes. But is there actually any truth to that? Could we be less likely to get sick when we're in a positive frame of mind?

Well, psychoneuroimmunology research has shown that chronic stress, anxiety, and depression all weaken the immune system. And the main culprit is stress hormone cortisol. When levels are too high, it disrupts sleep and undermines immunity, affecting our mood and more broadly, our overall health.

So it's fair to say that being happy really does have an impact on your health, because it puts you in a more settled emotional state, which helps the body hold up better.

How does that work? What does happiness actually do to the body?

Well, in concrete terms, someone with a run-down immune system is more likely to pick up one cold after another, along with infections or digestive problems, and to feel constantly exhausted. So psychotherapy may be beneficial for overall well-being, in addition to mental health.

Research by Finnish private healthcare company Turvistalo found that even brief psychotherapy visits reduced their clients' mental health-related sickness absence from work by 45%, while also reducing it for other sickness absence by 19%.

And there's no shortage of other studies out there suggesting a direct link between happiness and physical health. Better mental health also helps reduce the risk of conditions like diabetes, cancer and infectious, inflammatory and degenerative diseases.

One study, published in Frontiers in Medicine in October 2025, looked into data gathered between 2006 and 2021 from 123 different countries. It found that there's a specific threshold of life satisfaction beyond which wellbeing begins to offer protection against chronic illness.

The researchers took into account a wide range of factors, including pollution, alcohol consumption, obesity, urbanization, and even levels of corruption. Their findings showed that the link between well-being and mortality is clear, but only once life satisfaction rises above a score of 2.7 out of 10.

Can happiness offset the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle?

No, unfortunately. And the researchers behind the Frontiers in Medicine research were very clear on that point. So you can't drink excessively, ignore your weight, and simply expect life satisfaction to make up for the damage.

Happiness can help reduce the risk of falling ill to some degree by supporting the immune system. But it can't heal disease. There you have it.

词汇表
frame of mind [freɪm] 心态，心境，心情
psychoneuroimmunology [ˌsaɪkəʊˌnjʊərəʊˌɪmjuːˈnɒlədʒi] n. 心理神经免疫学
immune system [ɪˈmjuːn] 免疫系统
culprit [ˈkʌlprɪt] n. 罪魁祸首，元凶
stress hormone cortisol [ˈhɔːməʊn ˈkɔːtɪsɒl] 压力激素皮质醇
undermine [ˌʌndəˈmaɪn] vt. 削弱，逐渐损害
immunity [ɪˈmjuːnəti] n. 免疫，免疫力
settled emotional state 稳定的情绪状态
hold up 支撑，维持，保持良好状态
in concrete terms [ˈkɒŋkriːt tɜːmz] 具体来说，具体而言
run-down [ˌrʌn ˈdaʊn] adj. 衰弱的，疲惫的，状态不佳的
digestive [daɪˈdʒestɪv] adj. 消化的，与消化有关的
psychotherapy [ˌsaɪkəʊˈθerəpi] n. 心理治疗，精神疗法
sickness absence 病假，因病缺勤
diabetes [ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz] n. 糖尿病
infectious [ɪnˈfekʃəs] adj. 传染性的，感染的
inflammatory [ɪnˈflæmətri] adj. 炎症性的，发炎的
degenerative [dɪˈdʒenərətɪv] adj. （疾病）退行性的，衰退的，恶化的
threshold [ˈθreʃhəʊld] n. 门槛，阈值，临界点
alcohol consumption [ˈælkəhɒl kənˈsʌmpʃn] n. 饮酒，酒精摄入
obesity [əʊˈbiːsəti] n. 肥胖，肥胖症
urbanization [ˌɜːbənaɪˈzeɪʃn] n. 城市化，都市化
corruption [kəˈrʌpʃn] n. 腐败，贪污；堕落
mortality [mɔːˈtæləti] n. 死亡率，死亡；必死性
offset [ˈɒfset] vt. 抵消，弥补，补偿
make up for 抵消，弥补，补偿

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