The Role of Happiness in Modern Healthcare

Dr. Louise Lambert

Welcome everyone to my new podcast series, Happiness Matters, a positive psychology informed series on happier living. Now, many of you already know me. I'm Dr. Louise Lambert, a positive psychologist living in Dubai. What you may find strange though is my voice. Yes, I've moved to AI and I'm using it to do this series. But, rest assured, it is me behind the voice writing the scripts, pulling up the studies, finding the appropriate references and editing intensely to bring you the best experience. It's also to save time recording in order to do my best work with organizations and individuals directly, including in healthcare as I describe in this episode. So, I hope you'll engage with the ideas and strategies and create your best life going forward.

Dr. Louise Lambert

Okay, let’s talk about what I like to call a “super-intervention” in healthcare—subjective well-being, or happiness, basically. And we’re not just talking about people feeling good. No, no, no—it’s way bigger. We’re talking measurable improvements in physical and mental health, better patient engagement, and satisfaction with healthcare, something all institutions pay attention to as it is a key driver of profit. And so, to set the scene for this episode, I want to first explore the impact of happiness on health as a whole.

Dr. Louise Lambert

While there is evidence for health influencing subjective wellbeing, there is more evidence suggesting that subjective wellbeing precedes and predicts health outcomes, with the relationship considered causal versus merely related. These are fancy words meaning that happiness causes good health and is not only related to it. There are many studies supporting this idea. For example, in 2019 Zaninotto and Steptoe’s research found that higher positive emotional experiences were associated with six more years of life for a woman reporting high wellbeing at age 50, while a man of the same age could expect to live 20 additional years disease free. That’s not a small number. Similarly, higher life satisfaction scores were associated with lower risks of functional decline, disability, and mortality; in other words, happier people lived longer in a good state, with fewer disabilities and fewer limitations in their daily activities.

Dr. Louise Lambert

Greater subjective wellbeing is also associated with lower blood pressure, lower incidence of coronary heart disease and better cardiovascular health. Life satisfaction and frequent positive emotion are also linked to health behaviours like exercise and not smoking, as much as eating more fruits and vegetables, and wearing sun protection. These might sound small, but when you take a whole population approach to health, fewer people getting skin cancer, lung disease and high blood pressure are major cost savings. It is even more so when you take into account the costs of poor health to workplaces, societies, and healthcare institutions themselves who bear the cost of patients using more healthcare services when they are unhappier in life, despite their health status. All of these findings I am sharing are easily found in the research.

Dr. Louise Lambert

Now, we often rely on studies done elsewhere and there is value in doing so. But I want to share a study I recently completed with my colleague Dr. Tatiana Karabchuk from the United Arab Emirates University. We had access to a huge dataset, over nine thousand people in the United Arab Emirates, showing how subjective well-being and health are closely connected. People with higher happiness levels reported better self-rated physical and mental health, such as lower anxiety, and being more active. The best part? The relationship, wasn't just one-way. The influence of wellbeing also impacted health. That is, happiness improved health outcomes too, rather than merely being related to it.

Dr. Louise Lambert

But here’s the clincher—happiness doesn’t only make us healthier; it also makes us smarter healthcare consumers. Studies show happier patients rate their healthcare much higher. They think services are better, waiting times shorter, costs more reasonable. It’s like their happiness makes them see everything in a better light. And for healthcare providers, this means better patient satisfaction, which, by the way, ties directly to profit and retention. Win-win, isn’t it? It would seem like an easy route then to improve patient happiness, not only through good customer service, but by properly instructing them in the skills of happiness.

Dr. Louise Lambert

Imagine lowering healthcare costs, improving health outcomes and raising healthcare satisfaction by boosting positive emotions. It’s kinda brilliant when you think about it. It’s all about creating environments that let patients engage, learn, heal, feel good, and subsequently prevent illness and promote good health and wellbeing. And yes, healthcare institutions can make money from helping patients be happier. These are services they can sell, without worrying that better health would see their patient base disappear.

Dr. Louise Lambert

So what would that look like? I worked in the Canadian healthcare system years ago where I developed the first positive psychology patient program, called “Happiness 101.” It’s was six-week program that used positive psychology interventions—things like writing gratitude letters, practicing mindfulness, savoring, understanding one's character strengths, even community engagement efforts. Now, this wasn’t just some feel-good fluff; all of the interventions came straight from the research literature and already had a lot of evidence going for it. So, we ran it like a good old psychology experiment, using pre, post and post-post measures. Patients who took part saw immediate improvements in their mental health, vitality, and overall sense of well-being.

Dr. Louise Lambert

We saw the percentage of patients at risk for depression drop from 67% all the way down to 26% after six months. We also saw fewer reports of functional limitations and fewer perceptions of pain. While we didn't ask patients how many times they visited their doctors in that time period, we'd imagine it was less as there was less reason to do so, with implications for cost savings. And all of this while focusing on building happiness—not just treating symptoms. You know, traditional therapies, they tend to focus so much on minimizing what’s bad that they forget to amplify what’s good. And that’s what this did—it amplified the good, and the benefits cascaded.

Dr. Louise Lambert

But most of all, was the patient feedback, which is also included in the publication if you want to read it. People talked about feeling energized and actually looking forward to the sessions. Many said it was completely different from therapies they’d tried before. One person shared that past treatments often left them feeling worse because of all the focus on the negatives. Here, it was about building something positive, moving forward. Another participant said the program felt, and I quote, like “a mind frame change.” It wasn’t about fixing the past but creating a better future.

Dr. Louise Lambert

We even had people say their physical health seemed to improve because of this positivity. Some said they noticed themselves smiling more, and getting fewer colds than in previous winters. Just think about that for a second—happiness impacting immunity. It’s these stories that make me so passionate about shifting healthcare to focus on well-being as a foundational part of care. I'm happy to say that my program still runs today with the Red Deer Primary Care Network.

Dr. Louise Lambert

Alright, so let’s bring this all together. What happens when healthcare systems take happiness seriously? Well, a lot, actually. We’re talking improved patient retention, decreased healthcare claims, and, let’s not forget, boosting profitability for insurers. It’s not just about making people feel good for the sake of it—it’s a direct line to better health outcomes and happier, more engaged patients. And given that insurers predict healthcare costs to increase by 12% this year in the Middle East region, particularly in the Gulf countries, it matters a lot.

Dr. Louise Lambert

Here’s the thing—subjective well-being isn’t a fluffy extra. It’s measurable, practical, and, honestly, vastly underutilized. Imagine incorporating regular well-being assessments into routine care, discharge planning and follow-up assessment, or training staff as much as doctors in positive psychology interventions, of which there are more than 50 in existence. Things as simple as gratitude practices or well-being check-ins during appointments make an impact. What if leaders connected wellbeing initiatives to business objectives and committed to a strategic plan for the promotion of patient wellbeing. Healthcare institutions could refer patients to in-house intervention groups like my Canadian one, to promote psychosocial assets for better living. They could even promote public awareness of subjective wellbeing's impact on health. There’s so much evidence for this—it’s not just theory.

Dr. Louise Lambert

So, why aren't all healthcare institutions doing this? That’s the big question, isn’t it? The evidence is there. Happiness isn’t just good for patients; it’s a win for institutions too. In fact, while I've got you here and you know what I do, feel free to share this episode with insurers in the Gulf region, as much as healthcare institutions who might be interested. I'm always up for happyfying health and workplaces!

Dr. Louise Lambert

Alright, friends, that’s it for today. We’ll stop here, but remember, integrating happiness into healthcare isn’t just an idea—it’s a movement. More importantly, being happy, that is, you being happy, also leads to better health. So, until next time, keep smiling and stay curious. Talk soon!