title: Unhappiness and mortality: evidence from a middle-income Southeast Asian setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A relationship between happiness and mortality might seem obvious, but outside of affluent settings in developed countries there is almost no actual evidence that this is so.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We report our findings on happiness and mortality in Buddhist Southeast Asia. Our data are derived from a prospective nationwide cohort study of 60,569 Thai adults reporting in 2009 and followed up for all-cause mortality over the next four years (296 deaths). We also gathered data on a wide array of covariates and included these in the final model of the unhappiness-mortality effect. All final effect estimates were mutually adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and cohort members who reported being happy 'little' or 'none of the time' in 2009 were more likely to die (AOR 2.60, 95% Confidence Interval 1.17-5.80). Other significant covariates include being female (<40 years AOR 0.66, ≥40 years AOR 0.57), unmarried (AOR 1.64) and current smokers (AOR 2.45).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study provides empirical evidence that the epidemiological effect of happiness is not confined to affluent Western countries, but it also increases the probability of staying alive in a middle-income Asian country.
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Building 62, Mills Rd, Canberra, Acton 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Vasoontara
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yiengprugsawan
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Building 62, Mills Rd, Canberra, Acton 2601, Australia ; School of Human Ecology, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Sam-Ang
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Seubsman
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Building 62, Mills Rd, Canberra, Acton 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Adrian C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sleigh
keywords: Cohort study; Happiness; Mortality; Psychological wellbeing; Thailand
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