STAYING BUSY HAS HEALTH BENEFITS

Variety is not only the spice of life – new research shows that it might also be one of the keys to a healthier life.

While we often hear about the benefits of a simple life, new research from the University of South Florida has shown the opposite may be true. The researchers have shown that keeping busy with a variety of activities can elicit both positive and negative emotions, which is beneficial to your health. The study found that engaging in diverse daily activities is associated with a diverse set of emotions, and that’s a good thing. “Experiencing a broad spectrum of emotions is adaptive and beneficial to health because it means having a more balanced and nuanced appraisal of daily life,” said Professor Soomi Lee. Emodiversity is a term used to describe rich and balanced emotions. It comprises 13 positive emotions: cheerful, in good spirits, extremely happy, calm and peaceful, satisfied, full of life, enthusiastic, attentive, proud, active, close to others, belonging, and confident; and 14 negative emotions: worthlessness, nervous, restless or fidgety, hopeless, afraid, jittery, irritable, ashamed, upset, lonely, angry, frustrated, that everything is an effort, and so sad that nothing could cheer you up. Emodiversity is also associated with higher psychological wellbeing, better cognitive functioning and brain volume governing memory and learning.