Happiness can indeed lengthen life, but only beyond a certain level, Romanian scientists have concluded. Their research shows that the positive effects of subjective well-being on health begin once a person reaches at least 2.7 points on the Life Ladder happiness scale. The study was published in Frontiers in Medicine.

“We demonstrated that subjective well-being starts functioning as a public health factor only after surpassing the 2.7-point threshold,” said study lead Professor Iulia Yugan. “Beyond this point, each additional 1% increase in happiness is associated with roughly a 0.43% reduction in mortality from non-communicable diseases.”

These non-communicable diseases include cardiovascular conditions, cancer, asthma, and diabetes, which remain leading causes of death worldwide unrelated to pandemics.

The Life Ladder scale measures subjective happiness from 0 to 10, where 0 represents “the worst possible life” and 10 represents “the best possible life.” Among the 123 countries included in the study, the average score was 5.45, the minimum 2.18, and the maximum 7.97.

“The 2.7 threshold is closer to the lower end, representing a ‘barely manageable’ level. Yet even above this level, further increases in happiness begin to impact health,” Yugan explained.

Countries where people rate their lives above this threshold typically invest more in healthcare, maintain more stable social institutions, and exhibit lower levels of inequality. Researchers note that factors such as air quality, obesity prevention, and alcohol limitation directly contribute to greater happiness and, consequently, lower mortality.

Scientists emphasize that happiness can be viewed not only as a personal feeling but also as a measurable public health resource.

“Defining the well-being threshold will help design more precise health and social policy strategies,” Professor Yugan added. “Happiness is more than just an emotion. It is a tool that can make society healthier.”