If you are overweight you are happier
A study has found that overweight people are more likely to be happy.
Being overweight is usually associated with a number of diseases – heart attacks, diabetes and strokes. The new study, however has discovered that overweight people may lead happier lives.
The research, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, was conducted by a group of scientists at the University of Bristol led by Louise Millard and George Davey Smith.
They used database of UK Biobank that contains genetic data from 500,000 men and women in the UK from the ages of 37 to 73. During their investigation, they also concluded the already widely known connection between a person’s BMI and their health – namely, that people with a higher BMI are more likely to have higher blood pressure, to suffer from diabetes and have puberty at an earlier age.
However, they were surprised to discover that people who are overweight generally have a calmer state of mind.
In regard to their findings, the researchers stated: “We also detected a number of potentially causal associations that were previously unknown. For example, participants with a genetic propensity to higher BMI were less likely to perceive themselves as a nervous person or to call themselves tense or ‘highly strung’.”
Dasha Nicholls, head of the eating disorders faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, explained how one’s eating patterns can have an effect on their mental state. “We know that if someone is nutritionally compromised that affects their ability to regulate their emotions,” she told The Times. “It doesn’t surprise me in that sense that there would be a direct link, but I think it’s a really interesting study.”
