Life insurance is an important way to provide protection for your family. However, it&#39;s often misunderstood, and misconceptions are plentiful&mdash;including that it&#39;s expensive and difficult to purchase. But once you have a basic understanding of what life insurance is, how it works and the two main types of life insurance, you&rsquo;ll be on your way to providing protection and financial security for your family.

What is life insurance? 
<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/financial-health/how-do-i-know-which-type-of-life-insurance-is-right-for-me">Life insurance</a> is a contract between you and an insurance company where you make a monthly or annual payment&mdash;the premium&mdash;and the insurance company pays a specified amount of money&mdash;the death benefit&mdash;to your beneficiaries when you pass away.

If you have people who depend on your income, like underage children, a spouse or elderly parents, then life insurance is imperative. You should also consider life insurance if someone would incur additional costs if you pass away (like childcare for example). The money obtained from a policy can help your family pay their regular monthly bills, your children&rsquo;s future college tuition or for your funeral expenses and outstanding medical bills. In some cases, people decide to purchase a policy when a major life event takes place&mdash;like getting married, buying a home, starting a business or having a baby&mdash;but life insurance can be purchased at any time.

In fact, the sooner you buy life insurance, the lower your monthly or annual payments will likely be. Other factors that determine the cost of life insurance are your health status, medical history and driving record. Smoking status is also a large determinant of your payments, with non-smokers generally receiving significantly better rates.

While historically, purchasing life insurance required medical exams and blood testing, this is often no longer the case. In fact, for relatively healthy individuals, many insurance companies offer a benefit of up to $1 million without a medical exam or blood test. For larger policies or for people with extensive medical histories, a medical exam can still be required.

Two basic types of life insurance 
The <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/financial-planning-health-care/what-different-types-life-insurance">two main types of policies</a> are term life insurance and permanent life insurance.

Term life insurance offers a cash payout if you pass away during a specific period of time (for example, 10, 20 or 30 years); you pay via a fixed monthly or annual premium during the term of the policy. Term insurance is a viable option for covering specific costs such as a mortgage or college education. Often times, insurance companies will allow you to convert your term policy into a permanent policy for a specified period of time after purchase.

Permanent life insurance offers lifetime protection with a cash payout at the time of death, regardless of when that is. It often includes a cash account value that you may be able to access while you are alive, which has the ability to grow, similar to money in other investments (mutual funds, or bonds). Your monthly payments may be fixed or they may be flexible depending on the type of policy you choose. Permanent life insurance is a viable option for people looking to pass money on to their family after they pass away, or for people concerned about paying for funeral costs or medical bills at the time of their passing.

Some employers offer life insurance as a benefit to their employees. While this is generally temporary&mdash;good only while you are employed with the company&mdash;it may be wise to take advantage of this benefit, as the monthly payments may be offset by your employer. But if you have family who is dependent upon your income, additional insurance, outside of work is generally required. Life insurance can be purchased online, over the phone or from a licensed financial professional.

Medically reviewed in July 2018.

What Is Life Insurance?

We&rsquo;ve quoted Ben Franklin before, but his words are still as true as ever: &ldquo;An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.&rdquo; And taking advantage of the Affordable Care Act&rsquo;s free, preventive medicine coverage -- as an adjunct to your smart lifestyle choices of no Food Felons (they&rsquo;re trans and saturated fats, added sugar and syrups and any grain that isn&rsquo;t 100 percent whole), no tobacco, and no smoking anything, walking at least 30 extra minutes daily (heading for 10,000 steps a day), and de-stressing with mindful meditation -- can head off or reverse a lot of health problems. For example, if guys with elevated LDL cholesterol (but no symptoms) are identified and put on a lipid-lowering medication, that could prevent 25 percent of non-fatal heart attacks; and if everyone over the age of 50 had regular colon cancer screenings, more than 60 percent of deaths from that cancer could be avoided.&nbsp;

That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s good for your health -- and the country&rsquo;s healthcare bill -- that the ACA provides <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-screening-tests/what-preventive-screenings-should-get" target="_blank">preventive screenings</a>, tests and counseling for abdominal aortic aneurysm, alcohol misuse, breast cancer, elevated blood pressure and cholesterol, colorectal cancer, depression, type 2 diabetes, obesity and tobacco use, as well as sexually transmitted infections. And it pays for <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/vaccines-and-immunizations" target="_blank">vaccination</a> against hepatitis A and B, herpes zoster, human papillomavirus (HPV), flu, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), meningitis, pneumonia, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (TDP) and chickenpox. (In Canada, the Task Force on Preventive Care recommends their government-provided preventive services.) So, ask your doctor about taking advantage of the ACA&rsquo;s preventive health care services and screenings: you&rsquo;ll enjoy better health and a younger RealAge.

Medically reviewed in March 2020.

Take Advantage of Your ACA Preventive Care Benefits

Your environment has a relationship to your health and well-being.

Your City Could Reduce These Health Risks, Says Gallup Study

Tying the knot can have its health benefits—but it depends on the quality of your relationship.

Is Marriage Good for Your Health? The Answer Is Complicated

The holidays are a time of festivities with family and friends, making merry and, for some, increased risk of a heart attack. In fact, a study presented at a 2013 European Society of Cardiology meeting found that death from heart disease tends to be higher during January and February. We talked with cardiologists Frank Arena, MD, of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/lakeview-regional-medical-center">Lakeview Regional Medical Center</a>, Hoang Nguyen, DO, of Regional Medical Center and Taral Patel, MD, of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/tristar-summit-medical-center">TriStar Summit Medical Center</a> about potential heart attack triggers during the winter season and what you can do to keep your ticker going strong.

1. Be kind to your body 
According to Dr. Patel, those at increased risk include people with diagnosed heart disease, those who have already had a heart attack, been treated with stents or had bypass surgeries, smokers and people with diabetes. But even if this doesn&rsquo;t describe you, your heart may not be as healthy as you think. &ldquo;A heart attack is not a singular event,&rdquo; says Dr. Arena. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the end result of the culmination of a series of events. You have a heart attack because you&rsquo;ve spent years and years building up plaque around the arteries.&rdquo;

Maintain good health: Healthy eating habits and regular exercise throughout the year can help keep problems at bay. If you have diabetes, be sure that it&rsquo;s under control. Smokers could give themselves the best gift of all by <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/quit-smoking">kicking the habit</a>.

2. Take a chill pill 
While the holiday season is a celebratory time of the year, it can also bring about added stress from strained family relationships and overstretched finances.

&ldquo;One thing that surprises me is how much stress and emotion play into it,&rdquo; says Patel. &ldquo;Mental and emotional stress is a huge factor that I think we downplay.&rdquo; Some may suffer from <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/circulatory-system-health/what-broken-heart-syndrome">broken heart syndrome</a>: &ldquo;A sudden stressful event can cause a person to have chest pain and a sudden heart attack,&rdquo; says Patel. Stress overload can also make it tough to get enough sleep, which can fuel overeating. &ldquo;Insomnia makes adrenaline levels go up, blood pressure goes up, we get carb cravings,&rdquo; says Arena. &ldquo;You just continue to make poor choices in the moment because you aren&rsquo;t sleeping.&rdquo;

Stress less: Take time to relax; try <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/meditation/how-meditation-help-relieve-stress">meditation to calm down</a>. Make sleep a priority. You&rsquo;ll be more clear-headed for handling family issues and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/anxiety/money-stress">making spending decisions.</a> Get enough shut-eye to prevent spikes in <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/endocrine-system/how-does-cortisol-affect-body">the stress hormone cortisol,</a> which increases appetite.

3. Maintain your medicationsI 
If you regularly take prescription drugs to treat a chronic condition like heart disease, continue to do so during the holidays. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re very busy during the holidays,&rdquo; says Dr. Nguyen. &ldquo;People are doing things they shouldn&rsquo;t be doing and eating things they shouldn&rsquo;t be eating. They forget to take their medication; they forget to check in with their doctor. Things like that tend to lead to heart attacks.&rdquo;

Be prepared: Don&rsquo;t rely on your memory for taking your pills; separate them into pill containers labeled by day. Set reminders in your phone. If you&rsquo;re traveling, take the entire bottle of each medication with you. If your return trip is delayed, you won&rsquo;t run out. You&rsquo;ll also have a list of your medications and dosage if needed.

4. Take it easy on the alcohol 
More partying means the toasting flutes and champagne will be in full force. While celebrating in moderation is ok, going overboard is not. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re drinking a fair amount, say, more than two or three drinks or anything enough to give you a hangover, you&rsquo;re creating a lot of adrenaline,&rdquo; says Arena. This can lead to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/arrhythmia/what-is-holiday-heart" style="line-height: 1.6em;">holiday heart syndrome,</a> or atrial fibrillation, which is characterized by a fast, irregular heartbeat. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s contributed to by the buildup of adrenaline that comes when&nbsp;people overindulge and become dehydrated, which makes their hearts start pounding,&rdquo; says Arena. &ldquo;The adrenaline is what leads to heart issues. The same triggers that cause you to go into atrial fibrillation can cause a heart attack as well.&rdquo;

Tame the tipples: Avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Don&rsquo;t have more than one drink per hour, and alternate drinks with water to stay hydrated. Skip sugary drinks; it&rsquo;s more difficult to tell how much alcohol you&rsquo;re imbibing. Stay festive by switching to seltzer water and lime or mixers&mdash;sans the alcohol. If you have heart disease risk factors, you&rsquo;ll want to take extra precautions to avoid holiday heart syndrome: Limit yourself to no more than two drinks per day, avoid overeating (it may trigger a reflex response that can cause an arrhythmia) and avoid caffeine.

5. Beware of cold-weather activities 
If you&rsquo;re tempted to join the family for a sled ride or feel compelled to shovel snow, you may want to think twice, especially if you&rsquo;re not physically active throughout the year. &ldquo;Winter activities can increase stress hormone levels and blood pressure,&rdquo; warns Patel, adding stress on the vessel wall. &ldquo;This is what causes the rupture, which causes the heart attack,&rdquo; he says. Cooler temperatures can also play a role. &ldquo;Even if you&rsquo;re not shoveling snow and it&rsquo;s not super cold, your arteries constrict a bit to keep your core warm,&rdquo; Patel says. &ldquo;That also increases blood pressure and shear stress [on the blood vessels].&rdquo;

Know your limits: If you&rsquo;re not used to lots of strenuous activity limit your time outside, dress warmly and don&rsquo;t overexert yourself.

6. Don&rsquo;t ignore the symptoms 
Maybe you&rsquo;ve just sat down for Christmas dinner or have begun exchanging gifts&mdash;and you&rsquo;re not feeling quite right. Don&rsquo;t worry about ruining the moment&mdash;it will only become worse if you&rsquo;re having a heart attack. Nguyen says&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/heart-attack/symptoms-of-a-heart-attack?myAttribute=yay" style="line-height: 1.6em;">heart attack symptoms</a> like chest pain, discomfort or shortness of breath require immediate medical attention. &ldquo;You should never ignore symptoms when it comes to the heart,&rdquo; he adds.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

6 Ways To Prevent a Holiday Heart Attack

Got a great reason to jump out of bed in the morning? Only 37% of North Americans say they do, according to a recent Gallup Poll. But a study might motivate you to find your sense of purpose: Turns out having a mission in life can help you become healthier and live longer.

When researchers from Mount Sinai Health System in New York City reviewed the results of 10 studies involving more than 137,000 people, they found that those with &ldquo;a sense of meaning and direction, and a feeling that life is worth living&rdquo; were 19% less likely to have a heart attack or <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/stroke">stroke</a> or to need a cardiac bypass or stents to open up clogged arteries. And overall, those leading purpose-driven lives were 23% less likely to die prematurely.

Why does a sense of purpose make you healthier? 
If you&rsquo;re fired-up with a passion for living -- whether it comes from coaching Little League baseball, volunteering at the local soup kitchen, playing your tuba for community groups, or being a good parent -- you&rsquo;re more likely to keep up with health screenings, eat healthily and get exercise. Plus, you get these additional health benefits, according to the Mount Sinai study:

Less inflammation: Recent research has shown that people with a strong sense of purpose also had lower levels of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/inflammation/what-is-inflammation">inflammatory</a> chemicals and stress hormones. The reason goes deep: Scientists at the University of California Los Angeles and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that having a sense of purpose switches on healthier genes. Blood tests of 80 people revealed that those who felt happy when doing good for others had less activity in genes that boost inflammation. Those less generous, more short-sighted and concerned with their own pleasure, had more activity in pro-inflammatory genes, as well as lower activity in antiviral and antibody genes, which help protect against viral infections. As one of the researchers noted, &ldquo;We can make ourselves happy through simple pleasures, but&hellip; at the cellular level, our bodies appear to respond better to a different kind of well-being, one based on a sense of connectedness and purpose.&quot;

Sharper mental powers: A strong sense of purpose could keep your <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/mental-fitness-nervous-system/how-can-i-exercise-brain-and-keep-sharp">brain sharper</a>, longer. Scientists from Chicago&rsquo;s Rush University Medical Center autopsied the brains of 246 older adults. They found the plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease in those who had lived with a sense of purpose and those who didn&rsquo;t. But when they looked back at thinking tests performed while the volunteers were living, they discovered a profound difference: People with a strong sense of purpose had a 30% lower rate of decline in thinking skills and memory.

Greater independence as you age. A sense of purpose may have a bonus for your encore years, especially if you&rsquo;ve got big plans for retirement. In the on-going Rush University study, older people with a strong sense of purpose were 30% less likely to have trouble with basic necessities like getting dressed and taking a shower, 44% less likely to have trouble with managing their money, shopping, taking care of their home and getting around town and 39% less likely to have difficulty walking distances, going up and down stairs and doing heavy housework.

So how&rsquo;s your sense of purpose? 
Do you feel driven by passion and meaning? If not, make time to explore the world, try new things, experiment, get together with friends and family to see what makes you feel like a million bucks. Spend some time thinking about what really matters to you, what you&rsquo;d like most to contribute to the world because you think it&rsquo;s important, and that you&rsquo;d love to do. It&rsquo;s one of the essential 7 Do-Over Deeds in Dr. Mike&rsquo;s book, This Is Your Do-Over. You&rsquo;ll make the world -- and your own mind and body -- a better place.&nbsp;

Find Your Sense of Purpose

When it comes to money and happiness, a lot of us think the grass is greener on the richer side. We&rsquo;d be happier in a bigger house with a heated pool and plenty of money left over to treat our kids, grandkids and friends. Wouldn&rsquo;t we?

Some happiness experts, including psychologist Ron Siegel, say we would likely readjust to our &ldquo;happiness set point&rdquo; after the novelty wears off. In this sense, money can&rsquo;t buy lasting happiness.

Other researchers say money&nbsp;can&nbsp;buy happiness&mdash;to an extent. One 2009 study asked participants to report how happy they were in relation to their household income. The study, as well as past research, found that happiness tends to increase with income up to a point ($75,000 in one study, and about $90,000 in this study), but the increase is relatively small. Money makes you a little happier up to a point, but not a lot.

Participants were asked to predict how happy they thought other people feel at different income levels. Respondents were fairly accurate in predicting that higher levels of household income are not associated with higher levels of happiness at the top end of the income distribution (e.g., at $90,000 compared with $125,000). That is, both predicted and actual happiness leveled off at $90,000+.&nbsp;But they greatly underestimated the happiness of people who made less money.

Bottom line: Money does matter, but not as much as many people think. What seems to matter more is what people do with their money. Here are two ways to spend it that really can bring more joy to your life&mdash;no matter your income.

<ol>
	<li>Be charitable.&nbsp;Research shows that those who spend their money on others are consistently happier people. This finding held true for both the rich and the poor. And it&rsquo;s not like you have to give it all away to achieve happiness; if you can see your money making a difference in other people&rsquo;s lives, it will make you happy even if the amount you gave was quite small.</li>
	<li>Pursue experiences instead of material items.&nbsp;This bit of advice has been floating around for years, but research shows that even though people know this to be true, many still believe material goods are a better use of their money. A 2014 study surveyed how participants felt before and after making a purchase. Before buying, participants said they believed that life experiences would make them happier, but that material items had more value. But after their purchases, they felt that life experiences not only made them happier, but also had higher value.</li>
</ol>

If you&rsquo;re worried that &ldquo;life experiences&rdquo; are out of your budget, don&rsquo;t stress. Life experiences can range from a hiking trip an hour away to a salsa dancing lesson nearby. As long as it&rsquo;s an experience you&rsquo;ll be able to bank in your memory, you&rsquo;ll be glad you did it.

There&#39;s a strong connection between our finances and our emotions&mdash;and too much money stress can harm your health.

Medically reviewed in June 2019.

Can Money Buy Happiness?

We found a meme of &ldquo;Honest Abe&rdquo; Lincoln online accompanied by the quote, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t believe everything you read on the Internet.&rdquo; Well, a study confirms Abe&rsquo;s advice&mdash;and shows how often it is ignored!

Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Tulane University published a study in the American Journal of Infection Control revealing the most read/most popular posts on Facebook during the initial <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/zika-virus">Zika</a> scare were the least accurate medically, even though the majority of posts about Zika during the study&rsquo;s one-week window were accurate.

The most popular post was a false one claiming that birth defects from Zika actually come from an insecticide, and that Zika was a host invented by chemical companies. It had over 19,600 shares! The most popular accurate post about Zika; a press release by the World Health Organization, was shared only 964 times! We want people to be accurately informed (you&rsquo;re entitled to your own opinion, not your own facts!), because <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-care-basics/article/be-an-informed-patient-and-get-healthier">health misinformation</a> can be dangerous. If you believe that Zika is a hoax, you won&rsquo;t adequately protect yourself from the mosquitoes carrying it.

Take Abe&rsquo;s advice and be a detective the next time you&rsquo;re reading health information on social media. Ask: &ldquo;Where did the person get the information?&rdquo; and be skeptical of people and web sites that don&rsquo;t identify their sources. Sources you can rely on include government health organizations (sites ending in .gov), major medical schools (sites ending in .edu), and articles from journals and research publications like JAMA and The Lancet.

Medically reviewed in February 2019.

Know the Risks of Social Media Health Advice

Got a minute? Lengthen your life and relieve stress in just 60 seconds.

60 Seconds To Better Health

If you wanted to get to the top of the Great Pyramid you&rsquo;d have to clamber over 203 huge steps to reach the 454 foot summit. The top of the Eifel Tower? Today there are 1,665 steps (a lot smaller than the pyramid&rsquo;s) and it&rsquo;s 984 feet tall. Dubai&rsquo;s Burj Khalifa, the world&rsquo;s tallest building, scrapes the sky; it&rsquo;s 2,722 feet tall with 2,909 stairs. &nbsp;Luckily, you don&rsquo;t have to take that many steps to gain the great health benefits of losing weight.

Doing a little has big rewards! &nbsp;If you&rsquo;re overweight or obese, shedding just five percent of your body weight (that&rsquo;s nine pounds for someone who&rsquo;s 180) can help reduce multiple risk factors for type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Recently, researchers compared the health improvements of 40 obese men and women who lost five percent of their body weight with those who shed 10 and 15 percent. The 19 folks who shed five percent saw almost as much improvement in the function of their beta cells (that&rsquo;s where insulin is produced) and in <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/type-2-diabetes/article/lean-protein-blood-sugar-control">insulin sensitivity</a> as those who lost 10 and 15 percent. And that&rsquo;s great news for folks who think they have to go from severely overweight to thin to see health improvements.

Just aim for five percent at a time by making simple lifestyle changes: Eat 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day, de-stress with 10 minutes of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/meditation/how-do-i-meditate">mindful meditation daily</a>, and start a walking routine pronto. Remember, every journey starts with one small step.

Medically reviewed in September 2018.

Little Steps, Big Rewards: Making a Workout Workable

You&rsquo;re grumpy&mdash;and wonder why. So you enter the word in a symptom checker online and find out you may have 1 of 82 disorders or diseases, ranging from a middle ear infection or menopause (and you&rsquo;re a guy!) to dementia and a subarachnoid hemorrhage between your brain and the tissue that covers it.

Try again. You also have achy joints. Ah, that leads you to a list of 101 causes of joint pain. Maybe it&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/ulcerative-colitis/article/ulcerative-colitis-may-raise-skin-cancer-risk">ulcerative colitis</a>-related&mdash;who knew it could make your joints hurt? Or from infectious mono?

But you cannot find any condition that shows up on both lists. So maybe you have two different illnesses at the same time!

That can be an information-seeker&rsquo;s nightmare. Yet hundreds of millions of times a year people turn to online and app-based symptom checkers to help figure out what&rsquo;s ailing them, if they should call the doctor or if it&rsquo;s time for a visit to the ER pronto! You might as well ask a crystal ball if LeBron is happy in LA. It&rsquo;s anybody&rsquo;s guess.

That&rsquo;s the conclusion (not the one about LeBron) of a new study published in The Lancet that examines both the promise and reality of symptom checkers. The researchers looked at a wide range of studies on diagnostic direct-to-consumer (DTC) digital tools and concluded: &ldquo;Overall, the current evidence base on DTC, interactive diagnostic apps is . . . uneven in the information provided and inconclusive with respect to safety and effectiveness . . .&rdquo; Buyer beware, for sure.

This reinforces findings from earlier studies: While misdiagnosis by human doctors happens about 5 percent of the time&mdash;affecting about 12 million US adults annually&mdash;according to a 2014 study in BMJ Quality &amp; Safety, misdiagnosis by digital symptom checkers happens, on average, about 50 percent of the time!

In another study published in BMJ in 2015, researchers tested 23 symptom checkers by having them evaluate symptoms derived from 45 clinical vignettes that are used to teach and test medical students. Overall, the symptom checker listed the correct diagnosis first in only 34 percent of cases and put it in the top three diagnoses 51 percent of the time. And another study published that year in Diagnosis concluded, &ldquo;research suggests that they [medical apps and online tools] should be used with great caution . . . The lack of verifiable information provided about the evidence or expertise used to develop these apps is of major concern.&rdquo;

How to be a smart digital health info consumer 
You&rsquo;re not going to stop checking out online health info&mdash;and shouldn&rsquo;t. It&rsquo;s only human to go to what&rsquo;s right at your fingertips (literally). But all symptom-checker digital health sources are not created equal.

<ol>
	<li>The best one (we are biased) was developed for the Department of Defense and is available on the Sharecare app <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sharecare/id964313779?mt=8" target="_blank">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sharecare.realgreen&amp;hl=en_US" target="_blank">Android</a>. (It&rsquo;s a free download.) It has the best questionnaire(s) and data and is most likely to offer correct diagnoses. Plus, it will send you to a nearby doc (or telemedicine connection), if you want one.</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/online-health-care/article/how-telemedicine-work-you">Telemedicine</a> can provide personalized medical advice reliably: Dr. Mike&rsquo;s Cleveland Clinic offers Cleveland Clinic Express Care Online at <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/online-services/express-care-online" target="_blank">my.clevelandclinic.org/online-services/express-care-online</a> and Dr. Oz&rsquo;s New York Presbyterian Hospital offers NYP On-Demand at <a href="https://www.nyp.org/ondemand" target="_blank">www.nyp.org/ondemand</a>. Chances are your local medical intuitions have similar services.</li>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t let online results make you think you can determine your own treatment. You know the expression &ldquo;a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client?&rdquo; Well, a patient who has him- or herself for a doctor is foolish too! Get your online info; then call/tele-call your physician for a consult or an appointment.</li>
	<li>As for online health info: We hope you&rsquo;ll use it to help you stay healthy so you don&rsquo;t need a symptom checker. <a href="https://www.doctoroz.com/" target="_blank">DoctorOz.com</a> is a highly trustworthy zone where you can get the support, encouragement and advice you need to be your healthiest self.</li>
</ol>

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

Your Guide to Digital Health Resources

Keep your relationship ticking with these easy, expert-approved tips.

7 Ways You Can Improve Your Relationship

Happiness is a choice that is clearly within reach if we practice it like a habit. And the ability to make that choice rests, in part, with a sense of optimism that prevails even when things around us are far from perfect. In his book, The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen&rsquo;s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear, Paul Loeb includes an essay by activist-historian Howard Zinn on the power of optimism.

Zinn writes, &ldquo;An optimist isn&rsquo;t necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, courage and kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.&rdquo;

Is There a &ldquo;Happy&rdquo; Gene? 
Past research has centered on the work of geneticists who assert that we are each born with a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/genetics-genetic-disorders/are-we-genetically-wired-happy">happiness set point</a>. This is much like a metabolic set point that predetermines our natural body weight. This theory states that regardless of what we do, or what happens to us, this set point will always take us back to a certain level of subjective well-being. It implies that some of us are just born more cheerful and others of us more pensive. &nbsp;But is that really true?

Rick Foster and Greg Hicks, co-authors of the book, How We Choose to Be Happy,&nbsp;set out on a three year exploration to investigate and uncover the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/happiness/slideshow/6-surprising-ways-to-get-happy">habits of happy people</a>. They wanted to determine whether a happiness set point was set in stone. They studied over 300 subjects from all over the world, ranging from a mother in Seattle balancing career and family, to a holocaust survivor in Amsterdam and a hardware store owner in rural Alabama.

As a result of their findings, they determined that adopting behaviors such as setting intentions, fostering accountability, practicing appreciation and being of service, among others, created happiness, contentment and an <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/happiness/article/happiness-and-your-health">elevated quality of life</a>.

They concluded that we can choose to learn these happiness-yielding behaviors regardless of our genetic make-up, personality or background. Happiness, they assert, is a choice that is clearly within reach if we practice it like a habit.

Two Types of Happiness 
Researchers describe two kinds of well-being: eudaimonic and hedonic. Eudaimonic well-being results from a sense of purpose and service to others. Hedonic well-being comes from enjoying personal pleasures. A life in balance would include both. One can argue that taking care of one&rsquo;s own health and well being through a healthy diet, exercise, stress management and social/emotional connections also boosts your happiness quotient.&nbsp;

Sonja Lyubomirsky, author and psychology professor at University of California, Riverside notes that performing deliberate acts of kindness, nurturing strong social relationships, becoming a better listener and learning to forgive are all strategies that boost eudaimonic happiness. In her book The How of Happiness,&nbsp;Lyubomirsky writes, &ldquo;Working on how to become happier, the research suggests, will not only make a person feel better but will also boost his or her energy, creativity and immune system, foster better relationships, fuel higher productivity at work and even lead to a longer life.&rdquo;

Discover the Secret Source of Happiness 
Our intentional focus on increasing happiness in our daily lives can be just the counterpoint we need to the constant bombardment of media messages that tell us we don&rsquo;t have enough stuff, that we aren&rsquo;t smart enough or rich enough and that there is more bad in the world than good.

Consciously slowing down in order to drink in and be lifted by life&rsquo;s simple, momentary treasures that touch our hearts can greatly increase our feelings of contentment, satisfaction and joy.

In his book Hardwiring Happiness,&nbsp;neuropsychologist Rick Hanson demonstrates how we can learn to &ldquo;rewire&rdquo;our brain so that we can respond to the world receptively, contentedly and peacefully. We do this by focusing our sustained attention on a positive experience. This creates a lasting impact by re-sculpting the neural structure of the brain. &ldquo;When we consciously practice gratitude we increase the flow of beneficial neurochemicals in the brain,&rdquo; he writes. &ldquo;If we focus on what we resent or regret, we build out the neural substrates of those thoughts or feelings. But if we rest our attention on things we&rsquo;re grateful for, we build in very different neural substrates.&rdquo;

Savor the Sweet Moments 
I have a vividly memorable example of this principle in my own life. When my daughter was 3-years-old, I took her for a swim at our local pool. It was early afternoon and unusually so, we had the pool all to ourselves. She was leaning on me, her back up against my chest, my arms wrapped around her as I gently swirled her back and forth through the water. Her little body became heavy and she actually nodded off to sleep. In that simple and sweet moment I felt like we were both wrapped in the arms of contentment and peace. It so moved me that I told myself I was going to freeze that moment within me so that I could take it with me the rest of my life. Sustaining my attention there created a permanent file of happiness that I have downloaded from my memory and into my heart countless times in the past two decades.

In our daily lives, it only takes a moment to feel the delicate warmth of the winter sun on your face, to revel in the contagious belly laugh of a child or to soak in the delicious aroma of a home-cooked meal. Developing the habit of being on the lookout for these simple wonders of contentment can enrich us, delight us and restore joy to our awareness.

It&rsquo;s so hopeful to realize that, right in the midst of the harder realities of this life, happiness is never out of reach. It&rsquo;s right here, right now in both the small and large choices.

Learn more ways to live your healthiest life with tips from <a href="https://www.ornish.com/ornish-living/" target="_blank">Dean Ornish.</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;

This content was originally published on <a href="https://www.ornish.com/zine/youll-happy-choose-happy/" target="_blank">Ornish Living</a>.

Photo Credit: Derek Bruff, via Flickr Creative Commons

Medically reviewed in August 2018.

Find Long-Lasting Happiness With One Simple Act

If you have more month than money, the first step toward fixing your finances is creating a budget.&nbsp;Don&#39;t like the b-word? Then, don&rsquo;t think of it as a budget&mdash;call it a &ldquo;spending plan&rdquo; instead.

&ldquo;Plan&rdquo; is the operative word. Once you have a framework in place, each of your hard-earned dollars will have a job to do, in terms of both everyday expenses and future goals.

The 50/30/20 plan 
One of the simplest spending plans is the 50/30/20 budget, where you dedicate a certain portion of your income to particular expenses. Using this plan, here&rsquo;s how you would allot your take-home pay for maximum value:

<ul>
	<li>50 percent for must-haves. That&rsquo;s rent, food, healthcare, utilities, insurance and minimum debt service. Obligations like student loans or child support would be paid in full, whereas sometimes only minimum payments on consumer debt are possible.</li>
	<li>30 percent for &ldquo;wants.&rdquo; Things like meals out, vacations and entertainment fall into this category.</li>
	<li>20 percent for savings and debt. This includes retirement, other investments, an emergency fund and any additional debt service.</li>
</ul>

That 50/30/20 plan isn&rsquo;t set in stone. As long as you&rsquo;re taking care of business, you can build some wiggle room into your budget. For example, if you&#39;re determined to pay off your auto loan as soon as possible, you can apply some of your &ldquo;wants&rdquo; dollars toward it. Or, perhaps you&#39;re attending a wedding in six months. In that case, start beefing up the &ldquo;savings&rdquo; section. You can redirect some of those &ldquo;wants&rdquo; bucks, or try tactics like researching the best deals on utilities, grocery shopping from a list and using public transit.

Know that you should prioritize retirement planning over debt repayment, especially if there&rsquo;s an employer match. Even if you don&rsquo;t get a match, remember that every dollar you don&rsquo;t put toward retirement is a buck that can&rsquo;t help you later on. Chew on this math for a minute: Given a 5 percent yearly interest rate, if you invest $100 when you&#39;re 20 years old, it will grow to $1100 by the time you hit 70.

Ideally, you&rsquo;ll save at least 10 percent of your earnings for retirement. That might sound tough, but this is the best time to start. (Hint: Ask older co-workers if saving for retirement got any easier in their 40s.)

Tracking your money 
Spreadsheets work, and so do pen and paper. In the digital age, however, people tend to want an app for that. Plenty of budgeting apps exist; some free, some not. Search for &ldquo;best free budgeting apps&rdquo; and compare the pros and cons. Otherwise you might wind up spending over $80 per year for basic budgeting services.

And if you want help from a human being, nonprofit organizations like the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Financial Counseling Association of America can talk you through the business of budgeting. Services are offered for free or on a pro-rated basis.

What are your goals? 
Sure, you could budget on autopilot. But setting financial goals can help keep you aware of your progress and motivate you further. Shoot for goals that are:

<ul>
	<li>Specific: &ldquo;I want to take charge of my money&rdquo; is laudable, but vague. Have you thought about what you&rsquo;ll do with your cash once you&rsquo;re controlling it?</li>
	<li>Important: Competing in the Iron Man Triathlon is a fun goal. However, quitting your job at 27 to train for it means going into debt and also nixing the chance to add to retirement.</li>
	<li>Achievable: Paying off $50,000 worth of student loans in two years while buying a home and having your first child are all great things, but it&rsquo;s unrealistic to think you could do them simultaneously. Don&rsquo;t set yourself up for failure.</li>
</ul>

And if you&rsquo;re not ready to plan your future just yet? Try this goal on for size: &ldquo;I will succeed in the 50/30/20 budget, and then give myself room to dream about possibilities.&rdquo;

Here&rsquo;s the best news about budgeting: once you&rsquo;ve got a plan in place, it becomes second nature. And having control of your cash provides great peace of mind because you&rsquo;ll be taking care of business but still enjoying some of the fruits of your labor.

Medically reviewed in July 2018.

Why You Need a Budget—and How to Get Started

Q: I am trying to take off a few pounds gradually, but in truth it&rsquo;s so slow it&rsquo;s adding up to nothing! I&rsquo;ve been eating a wide variety of foods like the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines says to, so what&rsquo;s wrong? &mdash;Abigail L., Springfield, IL

A: Losing weight gradually is the right way to shed it and keep it off. That said, we wonder about what you mean by variety. A milkshake and a carrot stick is not what&rsquo;s meant by variety&mdash;but it&rsquo;s what many folks seem to think they can get away with.

In fact, it&rsquo;s gotten to be enough of a problem that the American Heart Association recently issued a position paper saying, &ldquo;greater dietary diversity is associated with suboptimal eating patterns, that is, higher intakes of processed foods, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened beverages.&rdquo;

So what is the variety that you should be aiming for? A variety of colors and types of veggies and fruits is a good place to start. You want to enjoy some <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/live-to-one-hundred/article/eat-these-to-live-longer">legumes</a>, some leafy greens, some cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower, and some citrus and some fleshy fruits and berries daily. You can add lean proteins like skinless chicken and fish.

But if that variety doesn&rsquo;t spice up your interest in healthy eating, just remember, while variety may be the spice of life, spices are the life of variety. Here are three of our favorites.

Turmeric: A main component of curry powder, turmeric delivers powerful flavor, and preliminary studies show it can reduce the number of heart attacks bypass patients have post-surgery and control knee pain from osteoarthritis as well as ibuprofen. And people from India, who use it frequently, have much lower rates of dementia. Animal studies confirm its brain benefits.

Cinnamon: Use this to flavor your coffee, zip up stews and make black beans sing with flavor. It also has anti-fungal properties and helps control glucose levels.

Pepper: Black pepper can combat cancer-causing properties of grilled foods&mdash;just coat lean chicken or veggies with ground pepper (after marinating in just about anything) before cooking over a flame.

Q: I&rsquo;ve tried to reduce the amount of plastics, their waste and hormone disruptors in my life, but it&rsquo;s difficult. Do you have any tips or helpful guidelines for me and my family to follow? &mdash;Candice B., San Diego, CA

A: With all the recent media attention focused on plastic waste in our oceans and the trend away from BPAs in plastics, there are steps you can take, and some things you cannot, or do not, have to change. And there&rsquo;s a new generation of entrepreneurial plastic recyclers&mdash;more are emerging every day&mdash;that are making recycling a much more effective way to manage the huge quantities that we discard daily.

So, here are a few things you can do in your everyday life to reduce your plastic footprint&mdash;and do recycle every chance you get.

The Rethink Plastics pilot study wanted to see if some pretty simple behavior changes could reduce exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals in plastics and printed register receipts&mdash;and it did! Along the way, it also succeeded in reducing plastic use and waste. The study participants were asked to take the following steps:

<ul>
	<li>Use glass or stainless steel water bottles.</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/household-safety/article/ways-home-making-you-sick">Store food in glass or ceramic containers</a>.</li>
	<li>Skip canned foods and beverages.</li>
	<li>Reduce take-out food.</li>
	<li>Do not handle receipts with bare hands. (If you do, wash with soap and water as soon as possible. Hand sanitizer won&rsquo;t wash BPAs off your hands, so wash them before you touch your food).</li>
</ul>

And we have a few more tips for you as well.

<ul>
	<li>Opt out of using plastic bags at the store and rely on reusable cloth bags to carry groceries and brown paper bags to hold produce. Use cloth bags for purchases in other stores as well.</li>
	<li>Use non-plastic containers to pack your lunch, and carry along reusable utensils&mdash;and no plastic straws.</li>
</ul>

Medically reviewed in March 2020.

Why You Should Use More Spices and Less Plastic

Overall well-being among U.S. adults has declined substantially this year. The Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index score so far in 2017 is 61.5, down 0.6 points from 62.1 in 2016 and on par with the lower level recorded in 2014. This decline is both statistically significant and meaningfully large.

These data are drawn from more than 135,000 interviews with U.S. adults across all 50 states from Jan. 2-Sept. 30, 2017, and more than 176,000 interviews each year in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The <a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/about" target="_blank">Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index</a> is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 represents the lowest possible well-being and 100 represents the highest possible well-being. The Well-Being Index consists of metrics drawn from each of the five essential elements of well-being:

<ul>
	<li>Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals</li>
	<li>Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life</li>
	<li>Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security</li>
	<li>Community: liking where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community</li>
	<li>Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily</li>
</ul>

Democrats&#39; Well-Being Drops Sharply; Republicans&#39; Unchanged 
Democrats have suffered a significant decline in overall well-being so far in 2017 compared with 2016. The 0.9-point drop in Democrats&#39; Well-Being Index score is at least triple the decline seen among Republicans and independents. Independents had a statistically significant decline of 0.3 points, while Republicans&#39; well-being is statistically unchanged. The decline among Democrats comes after a notable improvement in 2016, and their well-being is now below 2014 levels.

Women, Blacks, Hispanics, Low-Income See Large Drops 
The overall decline in well-being is concentrated among demographic groups that tend to align with the Democratic Party. Women have had a substantial 1.1-point drop in their Well-Being Index score, while the score for men is unchanged. Across the four major racial and ethnic groups, well-being has dropped the most among blacks and Hispanics, although it has also come down to a lesser degree among whites and Asians. Americans living in lower-income households saw a significant drop in well-being, while their higher-income counterparts saw a smaller decrease, no change or a slight increase.

Emotional Health, Social and Purpose Well-Being All Worsen 
The overall decline in well-being in 2017 is driven by dips in emotional health, social well-being and purpose well-being.

In terms of emotional health, the percentage of adults who report experiencing significant worry on any given day is up, as is the percentage who report having little interest or pleasure in doing things at least some of the time.

Social well-being shows similar declines. Fewer Americans agree that their friends and family provide them with positive energy every day and that someone in their life always encourages them to be healthy, while more disagree with the statement.

Purpose well-being indicators have also receded. Fewer agree and more disagree that there is a leader in their life who makes them enthusiastic about the future and that they like what they do each day.

All of these metrics were highly stable from 2014 through 2016, and in each case the negative movement so far in 2017 is highly statistically significant.

The remaining three elements, financial, physical and community well-being, have had much smaller changes thus far in 2017. Community well-being is unchanged, while financial and physical well-being are both down slightly.

Implications 
After rising in 2016, the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index score has reversed course this year. This drop comes even as key economic metrics closely related to well-being have improved, including <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/189068/bls-unemployment-seasonally-adjusted.aspx.aspx" target="_blank">unemployment</a>, perceptions of <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/218981/americans-ratings-standard-living-best-decade.aspx?g_source=&amp;g_medium=&amp;g_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">standard of living</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/125735/economic-confidence-index.aspx" target="_blank">confidence in the economy</a> and <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/221060/americans-best-holiday-shopping-mood-years.aspx" target="_blank">optimism about spending</a>.

Other signs of worsening well-being in the U.S. include an <a href="http://news.gallup.com/topic/category_wellbeing.aspx" target="_blank">uptick in the uninsured rate</a> for three quarters in a row and reports of elevated <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/204590/daily-worry-sharply-presidential-election.aspx?g_source=&amp;g_medium=&amp;g_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">daily worry</a>, particularly among <a href="http://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/215657/hispanics-emotional-during-trump-era.aspx" target="_blank">Spanish-speaking Hispanics.</a>

This drop in well-being is important for leaders to monitor and address because research shows the Well-Being Index predicts <a href="http://info.healthways.com/hubfs/Science_and_Research/Well-being-5_Science_Paper.pdf" target="_blank">key health, business and social outcomes</a>.

Read more about the decline in social well-being this past year on the new website, <a href="https://quartzy.qz.com/1121777" target="_blank">Quartzy</a>.

Survey Methods 
Results are based on 135,426 telephone interviews with U.S. adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, conducted from Jan. 2-Sept. 30, 2017. In 2016, 2015, and 2014, a total of 177,192, 177,281 and 176,702 interviews, respectively, were conducted from Jan. 2-Dec. 30 of each year. Gallup conducts 500 telephone interviews daily, resulting in a sample that projects to an estimated 95% of all U.S. adults.

The Well-Being Index margin of sampling error for the reported groups will range from about &plusmn;0.2 points for the U.S. and for whites to about &plusmn;0.3 points for blacks and Hispanics to about &plusmn;0.6 points for Asians. The margin of error for demographic groups will be no larger than &plusmn;0.3 points. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects due to weighting.

Each daily sample of national adults for data collected between Jan. 2, 2014 and Sept. 1, 2015, comprised 50% cellphone respondents and 50% landline respondents. Each daily sample from Sept. 1, 2015-Dec. 30, 2016, comprised 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents. Daily samples in 2017 comprise 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents. Additional minimum quotas by time zone and within region are included in the sampling approach.

Learn more about how the <a href="http://www.gallup.com/209189/gallup-sharecare-index-work.aspx" target="_blank">Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index</a> works.

This content originally appeared on <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/221588/americans-declines-2017.aspx" target="_blank">Gallup.com</a>.

News: Americans' Well-Being Declines in 2017

Starting on Thanksgiving and continuing straight through New Year&#39;s Day, the holiday season is supposed to be a time of gratitude, togetherness, and joy.

For many of us, though? Not so much.

Stress from holiday parties and family gatherings, high-maintenance houseguests, and endless trips to the mall can all add up. And if you&#39;re coping with the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/grief-emotional-health/article/how-to-handle-your-grief-during-the-holidays" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">death of a loved one</a> or other major loss&mdash;or if you find yourself alone or separated from friends and family&mdash;this time of year can be downright depressing.

But stress doesn&rsquo;t have to spoil what otherwise can be a joyful season. These simple strategies can help you manage stress, ease tension, and even beat the blues&mdash;not just at the holidays, but all year long.

Lower your expectations&nbsp; 
Putting pressure on yourself to make your holidays Instagram-ready is a surefire way to increase stress and anxiety, says Jared Gaines, MD, a psychiatrist at Fort Lauderdale Behavioral Health Center in Florida.

&ldquo;We can all fall prey to setting expectations way too high,&rdquo; adds psychiatrist Paul Schneider, DO, medical director of the psychiatry emergency center at JPS Health Network in Forth Worth, Texas.

Don&rsquo;t set yourself up for disappointment. Instead, focus on the quality of time you get to spend with others, whether that&rsquo;s in person or remotely, and enjoy the moments for what they are.

Admit when you&rsquo;re feeling overwhelmed 
This time of year, it&#39;s easy to overcommit, over-shop, and overdo&nbsp;pretty much everything.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t try to take on too much,&rdquo; Dr. Gaines cautions. Reach out to your loved ones for help, he suggests. If you&#39;re planning a holiday party, ask others to bring a dish or to help with cleanup. &quot;This can help you take some of that burden off yourself,&quot; Gaines says.

Be realistic and accept some stress 
Let&#39;s face it: The holidays will always be somewhat hectic. And that&#39;s okay, says Gaines. &ldquo;Sometimes, the stress can be worth it.&quot;

To help <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/stress-reduction/article/simple-ways-cope-stress" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">manage the stress</a>, try making to-do lists, suggests Dr. Schneider. &ldquo;It gives you a sense of accomplishment to complete a task and cross it off,&quot; he says.

Acknowledge your feelings, even the negative ones 
It&rsquo;s not just regular day-to-day stress that can get in the way of a happy holiday. Dealing with the loss of a loved one can also make this a more difficult time of year, particularly if you&rsquo;ve <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/coronavirus/article/grieve-support-others-coronavirus" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">lost friends or family to COVID-19</a>.

You may be remembering moments spent together&mdash;birthdays, graduations, or past holidays&mdash;and that can be hard, says Gaines. Instead of shutting down, he says, try talking about it.

Share your feelings and memories with someone you trust, maybe even while looking at old family photos. This can help you reflect on more positive times and cherish them.

In this way, says Gaines, &quot;the holidays can actually be a remedy for sadness.&rdquo;

Life and Family