Can happiness cure disease?
This question is extremely complex despite seeming to be a simple “Yes,” or “No” answer. There are several different perspectives to consider when breaking down the link between happiness and physical health. The first consideration is the actual research that has been done around the connection between happiness and physical health. The second being that the notion of happiness being a cure for certain ailments is strongly dependent on outside factors such as the ability to access certain resources or have one’s basic human needs met in the first place. The final, and most important factor, involves a person’s predisposition to experience or not experience happiness.
Firstly, research that has been done on this subject shows that there is a correlation between health and happiness. It has been suggested that happiness cannot “cure” or “undo” certain illnesses such as viruses or infections. But, it can help to prevent them in the first place due to happiness’s impact on the human immune system. Research suggests that people who are “happy” are oftentimes “less stressed” and, therefore, have stronger immune systems than those who are not. Along the same lines, it might give a person a better chance of survival when facing illnesses that depend on a healthy immune system.
Secondly, happiness being a medical cure for certain diseases disregards the possibility that sick people have access to different “alternative” ways of treating illnesses. Chronic pain, for example, is an ailment that can be stabilized with the use of natural remedies and an intensive focus on one’s happiness and positive thoughts. However, someone dependent on state or federal resources for their healthcare coverage (such as Medicare or Medicaid) might not access these alternative approaches that utilize happiness as a key component for the cure to their illness. Furthermore, they might not have time to invest in these remedies due to limitations around transportation, childcare, or knowledge of these services’ existence in the first place.
Finally, even when considering that happiness might not be a cure but a contributing factor that helps prevent certain illnesses and or helping with the healing process of others, some people have difficulty experiencing happiness. Through no fault of their own, people who struggle with mood disorders such as Depression might find happiness to be a very elusive feeling. In these cases, happiness cannot necessarily be relied on for a cure or preventative measure regarding potential diseases and illnesses that the person will experience.