Conventional wisdom says that getting in shape and losing weight lead to a happier life. Research indicates that this is indeed true, but the relationship between weight loss and happiness is a lot more complex than it may appear to be at first glance. Happiness can lead to a more active lifestyle, which can lead toward weight loss, but excessive optimism about one's weight can actually hinder attempts to lose a few pounds. Exercise may not be as effective a means to lose weight as conventional wisdom says it is, but regular exercise does lead to more happiness.
Happiness can Lead to a More Active Lifestyle
According to Dr. Joe Vitale, author of "The Attractor Factor and Life's Missing Instruction Manual," happiness may be the key to physical fitness and weight loss. Happy people tend to lead more active lifestyles and burn more calories than those who spend more time being depressed and angry. "The truth is, happy people tend to take more actions in the direction of their goals," Vitale says, while unhappy people tend to lead more sedentary lifestyles.
Excessive Optimism Can be Detrimental
While happiness can lead to a more active lifestyle and weight loss, a Japanese study published in the journal "BioPsychoSocial Medicine" found that an optimistic outlook can actually hamper attempts at weight loss and that those with a slightly more pessimistic and cautious outlook tend to lose weight more easily. In other words, being entirely happy about your weight can keep you from changing it, and worrying a little bit about it can provide the impetus to take action.
Obesity and Depression are Reciprocal
In "Obesity and Depression are a Two-way Street," Megan Brooks cites a study on the relationship between obesity and depression done by Dutch researchers. According to Floriana S. Luppino of Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, "There is a reciprocal association over time between depression and obesity." In other words, obesity can lead to depression, and depression can lead to obesity. Luppino and colleagues found that obesity "increases the risk of depression in initially non-depressed individuals by 55 percent and depression increases the risk of obesity in initially normal-weight individuals by 58 percent." What's more, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, almost one in four cases of obesity is "associated with a mood or anxiety disorder."
Excercise Won't Necessarily Bring Weight Loss, but it Will Increase Happinness
In "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin," John Cloud discusses the way exercise, while burning calories, can also lead to increased calorie consumption, and therefore doesn't always lead toward weight loss. Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism at Louisiana State University, even goes so far as to say that, "In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless." However, according to Gretchen Rubin, author of "The Happiness Project," exercise is "still extremely important for general good health and for not gaining weight," and contributes to positive mood.
Unhealthy Eating Habits as a Means to Aleviate Stress
It's common knowledge that some people eat unhealthy foods, and even binge-eat, as a means to alleviate stress. Research indicates the problem affects women disproportionately. According to Cynthia M. Bulik, co-author of "Runaway Eating: The Eight-Point Plan to Conquer Adult Food and Weight Obsessions," an increasing number of women in middle age partake of unhealthy eating habits in order to flee stress and emotional problems. Bulik calls these unhealthy eating behaviors, which often involve excessive exercise, purging, or an oscillation between diet restriction and binging -- "runaway eating."
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