Everyone wants to be happier, but simply wishing to be happier isn’t enough. But there is an easy way you can increase your happiness: eat more fruit. Eating fruit is a sure-fire way to increase happiness according to an October 2014 study from Australia’s University of Queensland.
This particular study measured
– Life satisfaction
– Mental health
– Psychological distress
– Vitality
based on subjective scores submitted by the participants.
12000 people were surveyed about their fruit and vegetable intake and asked to rate themselves on a 1-10 scale. The study concluded that the ideal amount of fruit per day would be 5 servings.
Based on the data if someone went from eating no fruit to eating fruit they would experience a .24 increase in their happiness score. While that doesn’t sound that significant, it’s actually slightly more than the increase seen with a job status of unemployed to employed.
America’s Breakroom staff have observed the smiles on the faces of employees as we delivered displays of fruit, but it was reaffirming to see a study conclude what we already felt we knew: fruit makes people happier!
So is fruit really generating this kind of impact? Some scientists attribute the increase in happiness to B vitamins which increase serotonin — a chemical known to put people in a happy mood.
Bonus Info: The study found that fruit has more of a positive effect than vegetables.
It’s worth pointing out that this study was based on subjective scores given by the participants. And people who eat a lot of fruit are likely taking better care of themselves physically. While it’s difficult to prove that fruit is the only reason the people are happier, it is certainly a contributing factor.
Fruit is low in calories and high in fiber, so it helps keep people feeling full. This results in less unhealthy snacking which often leads to maintaining a healthy weight or even losing weight.
It’s not a big leap to say that if a person is healthier they are happier. Healthier people are less likely to get sick with minor or even more serious conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease.
Perhaps the reason is even simpler: fruit is tasty so it brings a smile to anyone who eats it.
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