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Adolescents who experience high levels of positive emotions may enjoy better physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood, according to a recent study published in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine. Conducted by researchers from Harvard University and their colleagues, the study sheds light on the long-term implications of positive affect during adolescence on various aspects of adult well-being.
Positive affect encompasses pleasurable emotions such as happiness, joy, excitement, and calmness. While previous research has demonstrated the beneficial effects of positive affect on adults’ health behaviors and chronic disease risk, limited data exist on its impact during adolescence. Given that adolescence is a critical period for establishing healthy habits and behaviors, understanding its influence during this time is paramount for guiding interventions aimed at promoting lifelong health and well-being.
The study utilized data from a prospective sample of approximately 10,000 U.S. adolescents in grades 7–12 during the mid-1990s, who were tracked into adulthood. Participants provided information on various aspects of their background, health, and well-being at multiple time points throughout the study.
Researchers categorized participants based on the extent to which their positive affect increased over one year during adolescence. They then evaluated whether adolescents with greater increases in positive affect exhibited healthier outcomes as adults across 41 measures related to physical health, healthy behaviors, mental and psychological well-being, and prosocial behavior.
Results indicated that adolescents with higher increases in positive affect demonstrated better outcomes across all categories, even after accounting for potential confounding variables. Notably, significant effects were observed in mental health outcomes, with positive affect associated with a reduced likelihood of conditions such as ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, and stress in adulthood.
The findings suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing positive affect during adolescence may yield lasting benefits into adulthood. However, the researchers caution about the limitations of self-reported data and the potential influence of unaccounted confounding factors.
Commenting on the implications of the study, the authors underscored the importance of integrating well-being indicators into policies, aligning with recommendations from organizations like the OECD, WHO, and UN. They emphasized the potential for targeted interventions during adolescence to shape lifelong trajectories of health and well-being.
As nations and policymakers increasingly prioritize holistic measures of societal progress, interventions aimed at promoting positive affect during adolescence may emerge as a promising strategy for fostering healthier and happier adult populations.
The study was published in PLOS Medicine .
