News: Want to stay young? Think happy thoughts

Dear readers, you’ll be happy to know that the fountain of youth may well be within our reach. Forget Botox, tummy tucks and all the rest’researchers in Germany say the key to staying young is optimism. According to this report in the Telegraph, scientists at the University of Hamburg showed mages of happy, sad, fearful and neutral faces to both young and elderly volunteers. Researchers noted that elderly volunteers were more engaged with the happy faces. Scans of the participants’ brains showed increased activity in the part of the brain that controls emotions, which is associated with good mental health. The study was recently published in the journal, Biological Psychiatry.

Now of course looking on the bright side of life can’t stop the wrinkles or gravity from taking its toll, but this new research suggests it will help keep your brain young. So how do you stay sunny when you’re a glass-half-empty type of person? That’s the tough part. Search "how to be happy" in Google and you’ll end up with more than 18 million results. Of course, no one can really tell you how to be happy, exactly’it’s so personal. But what are some of the ways you find happiness every day?

Related:
‘ 5 steps to a happy future
‘ How to be happy
‘ Quiz: Are you happy?