Happiness has more importance than just feeling good. Happiness is also important to your health, longevity, success, and relationships.

The importance of happiness is often discounted in a culture obsessed with material success, but it’s hard to purchase something that will make you happy in the long-term.

Your happiness isn’t just important to you. It’s also important to your friends, family, and your employer.

Consider these ideas:

1. Happy people are healthier: Happier people get sick less frequently and less severely on the average. Happy people visit the hospital less frequently. A bad mood is bad for your immune system, too.

● Happy people are less likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. Your physical and mental health are at greater risk when you’re not happy.

● Healthcare is very expensive. Happiness can be a great way to save a lot of money.

2. Happy people live longer: Several studies suggest that the happiest people live up to 10 years longer than those that are the least happy. Also, since happy people are healthier, they also tend to live longer, too. Happiness can do more to boost your lifespan than just about anything else. It’s free, too.

3. Happy people are more resistant to stress: Unhappy people are more easily overwhelmed when stressed. Happy people are better able to handle stress, and the effect that stress has on them is decreased. Being happy makes you more capable.

4. Happy people are more successful: It’s worth asking if successful people are successful because they’re happy. Or are they happy because they’re successful? It’s likely a little of both. Happy people are more productive, have better relationships, and handle stress better.

5. Happy people enjoy stronger relationships: Would you rather be around someone that was happy most of the time or someone that was not? Being happy can boost all of your relationships, including those with your partner, family, friends, and coworkers.

● Think about the happiest people you know. They tend to have great friendships and intimate relationships. They are close to their families, too.

● Unhappy people are often alone and have challenging relationships when they do have people in their lives.

6. Happy people get more done: Happy people are more productive and are better employees. Think about how much better you take care of your home when you’re happy versus those times you’re unhappy. If you have an open position at work, consider happiness as a factor when hiring.

7. Happy people have more friends: Of course, they have more friends. Happy people attract others. We enjoy being around people that are in a positive emotional state. We avoid those that aren’t. If you want to have more plans on the weekend, be happier!

8. Happy people are more creative: A happy mind is more open to new ideas and concepts. A happy person is more likely to have a useful creative idea than someone that is unhappy.

● If you’re struggling to find a solution to a problem, put yourself in a happy state first. You’ll be much more likely to find the answer you need.

We often postpone happiness for a later date. We decide that we’ll be happy after we finish school, buy a house, save a certain amount of money, or find the person of our dreams. This is a mistake. Being unhappy harms yourself and everyone else in your life.

Do yourself and everyone else in your life a huge favor and make your happiness a priority!