"Happiness is the highest form of health"

The 14th Dalai Lama wrote a book in 1998 called "The Art of Happiness".  He has lectured widely on how to achieve happiness and once said, among other things that "happiness is the highest form of health."  Maybe he had the following study in mind.  Investigators in the Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University enrolled 334 healthy volunteers (no really, they volunteered!) ranging in age from 18 to 54 years and assessed their overall tendency to be happy.  Some of the subjects experienced largely positive emotions such as happy, pleased, and relaxed, while others reporting experiencing largely negative emotions, such as depressed, anxious, or stressed out. 

Here's where it gets crazy.  Everyone was placed in quarantine and infected with one of two rhinoviruses (they were given nasal drops containing virus).  They were kept in quarantine to see which group developed signs and symptoms of the common cold (rhinovirus causes the common cold).  For both strains of virus, positive emotions was strongly associated with a decreased risk of developing a cold.  Conversely, negative emotions was not associated with either an increased risk or decreased risk of developing a cold.  These associations held true even after controlling for age, gender, and a number of other factors.

These same investigators conducted a follow-up study that showed similar results with the influenza virus.  In other words, individuals who demonstrated largely positive emotions were more resistant to viral infections!  The results of these studies are absolutely incredible!  Being happy actually increases your immune system's ability to fight off common infections.

The Dalai Lama could not have been more correct.  "Happiness is the highest form of health."  My wife has always told our kids and I, whenever one of us has been down, to remember the "power of positive thinking."  She was right too.  Having a positive attitude is incredibly liberating AND keeps us in a healthier state of mind, body, and spirit. 

We, as leaders, owe it to our teams to be optimistic and have a positive attitude.  I will leave you with one last quote, by Harry Truman, the 33rd President of the United States.  He said:

"A pessimist is one who makes DIFFICULTIES of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes OPPORTUNITIES of his difficulties."

Think about it.  There is power in having a positive attitude.