Healthy Food, Plus Exercise, Could Boost Happiness Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search NEWS Fitness and Nutrition News Eating Fruits and Vegetables, Plus Exercise Could Boost Happiness, Study Says By Elizabeth Millard Elizabeth Millard Elizabeth Millard is a freelance journalist specializing in health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition. Learn about our editorial process Published on September 29, 2021 Fact checked Verywell Fit content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Emily Swaim Fact checked by Emily Swaim Emily is a fact checker, editor, and writer who has expertise in psychology, health and lifestyle content. Learn about our editorial process Print Key Takeaways Higher consumption of healthy foods, along with more activity, has significant effects on mood, a recent study suggests.The reason for the boost in mood could be delayed gratification, which allows people to stick to healthy changes.Other studies have highlighted how exercise, in particular, can have a considerable impact on reducing depression and anxiety. According to previous research, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can lower inflammation and related depression symptoms. Exercise can increase the release of feel-good hormones like serotonin. But those aren’t the only mechanisms at play when it comes to improving your mood, according to a recent study in the Journal of Happiness Studies. Researchers found that eating healthy foods along with exercising regularly gave people a boost in happiness and life satisfaction. Some of this boost in mood may be directly related to delayed gratification. “We see that the causation goes in the other direction, from lifestyle to happiness,” says lead researcher Adelina Gschwandtner, PhD, senior lecturer in economics at the University of Kent. “Hence, it is really the fruits, veggies, and exercise that make you happier. So, it pays to make the effort to have a healthy lifestyle because, in the end, you’ll be happier as a result.” How Eating a Better Diet Can Keep You Healthy About the Study Researchers looked at data from about 40,000 households in the UK that were part of a large-scale, long-term study called Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study. This study collects information about people’s social and economic circumstances, attitudes, lifestyle habits, health changes, family relationships, and employment. Focusing on diet and activity, researchers found a strong association between these lifestyle factors and better mood. Although one possibility for this might be that happy people tend to take better care of themselves, the data suggest it is the other way around, says lead researcher Adelina Gschwandtner. The Basics of a Healthy, Balanced Diet Long-Term View Although healthy dietary choices and consistent exercise provide ample benefits in terms of physical function, the suggested mechanism in the recent study is actually psychological, says Gschwandtner. It is all about delayed gratification. Adelina Gschwandtner, PhD Being able to delay gratification helps you have a better lifestyle, and this better lifestyle makes you happier. — Adelina Gschwandtner, PhD Those who undertake these types of behaviors are successful in maintaining them if they have a long-term perspective rather than one that’s reliant on short-term benefits. That kind of emotional investment seems to pay off over the long run. “Being able to delay gratification helps you have a better lifestyle, and this better lifestyle makes you happier,” she says. Gschwandtner adds that there was some variation in terms of results between men and women. The latter tended to eat more fruits and vegetables, while the former did more exercise. But those differences were not enough to skew happiness levels toward one gender over the other. “This benefits everyone and can reduce the burden of ill health that comes from lifestyle diseases,” she says. Here's How to Get More Fruits and Vegetables Into Your Diet Prevention Strategy The recent study adds to ample evidence that healthy eating and physical activity can not only help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety but may also prevent them in the first place. Barreto Schuch, PhD Having the perspective of seeing activity as a source of joy may help many people take steps toward including it in their lives. — Barreto Schuch, PhD For example, a research review in Current Sports Medicine Reports looked at 49 studies encompassing nearly 267,000 participants and found people who maintained an exercise routine showed decreased onset of depression, and these results were consistent across numerous countries, as well as among people of all ages, from children to seniors. This study, and others like it, suggest physical activity can be a useful strategy not just for treating depression, but also for reducing prevalence in the first place, according to study co-author Felipe Barreto Schuch, PhD, in the department of sports techniques at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in Brazil. “Unfortunately, thinking of exercise as a prevention or treatment option isn’t considered a high priority in many cultures,” he says. “That may be because there is still the perception of this as a chore, which can cause resistance and low motivation. Having the perspective of seeing activity as a source of joy may help many people take steps toward including it in their lives.” The Best Exercises for When You're Feeling Sad Physical Pivot In addition to psychological shifts like embracing delayed gratification and long-term happiness, it is well established that exercise can create physical changes that support those mood effects. For instance, Schuch says depression is often associated with loss of neurons in the brain, and exercise may help prevent this. Consumption of fruits and vegetables also gives a significant boost to the body and brain. A study in Social Science & Medicine titled “Lettuce Be Happy” found that eating just one extra portion of these foods per day could provide as much of a mental well-being shift as walking an extra 7-8 days a month. What This Means For You Eating more fruits and vegetables, and exercising regularly, could provide a considerable boost to happiness thanks to psychological and physiological shifts. Look for ways to incorporate both into your daily routine in order to reap the benefits in your life. And be sure to speak with a healthcare provider before beginning a new exercise routine. Exercise and Diet Help Improve Mood for Women, Study Shows 6 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Swann OG, Kilpatrick M, Breslin M, Oddy WH. Dietary fiber and its associations with depression and inflammation. Nutr Rev. 2020;78(5):394-411. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuz072 Zimmer P, Stritt C, Bloch W, et al. The effects of different aerobic exercise intensities on serum serotonin concentrations and their association with Stroop task performance: a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016;116:2025-2034. doi:10.1007/s00421-016-3456-1 Gschwandtner A, Jewell S, Kambhampati US. Lifestyle and life satisfaction: The role of delayed gratification. J Happiness Stud. 2021. doi:10.1007/s10902-021-00440-y Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study. About the study. 2021. Schuch FB, Stubbs B. The role of exercise in preventing and treating depression. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2019;18(8):299-304. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000620 Ocean N, Howley P, Ensor J. Lettuce be happy: A longitudinal UK study on the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and well-being. Soc Sci Med. 2019;222:335-345. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.12.017 By Elizabeth Millard Elizabeth Millard is a freelance journalist specializing in health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Related Articles 10 Practices to Add to Your Morning Routine, And Why What Does It Mean to Be “Healthy” Vegetables are Associated with Happiness, Study Says What Is Yo-Yo Dieting? 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