LONDON (Dispatches) -- A new study says that consuming fruit and vegetables and exercising can make you happier.
The research led by the University of Kent and University of Reading is the first of its kind to unravel the causation of how happiness, the consumption of fruit and vegetables and exercising are related, rather than generalising a correlation. The researchers used an instrumental variable approach to filter out any effect from happiness to lifestyle. It showed that it is rather the consumption of fruit and vegetables and exercising that makes people happy and not the other way round.
The results indicated that the ability of individuals to delay gratification and apply self-control plays a major role in influencing lifestyle decisions, which in turn has a positive impact on wellbeing. The research also shows that men appear to exercise more, and women eat more fruit and vegetables.
With it being well known that lifestyle diseases are a leading cause of ill health and mortality worldwide.