Happy kids are healthy

KEEPING teenagers happy could stop them taking up drinking and smoking, scientists have discovered.

The least contented schoolchildren are almost twice as likely to try alcohol and cigarettes, a UK study has found.

Researchers have discovered that this is because children, like adults, have learned to associate alcohol with feeling joyful and less anxious.

The study of 1729 children aged 10 to 15 found the happiest had a 10.8 per cent chance of having tried alcohol and cigarettes, while the least happy, had a 21.5 per cent chance.