New research shows that people satisfied with their lives may be less likely to develop heart disease and/or stroke. The results of the study were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the latter reports.

“Our findings support a holistic approach to health care, where enhancing a person’s mental and emotional well-being is considered an integral part of preventing heart disease and stroke,” said senior author Wen Sun, M.D., Ph.D., associate director of the Stroke Center at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, China.

After reviewing questionnaires of more than 120,000 participants in the UK Biobank database, investigators assessed well-being as it related to satisfaction with family, friendships, health, finances and general happiness.

Researchers analyzed the potential connection of well-being with the development of four major cardiovascular diseases.

The analysis found, in particular, that compared to adults with a low sense of well-being, people with the highest well-being scores had a 44% lower risk of coronary artery disease, 45% lower risk of stroke, a 51% lower risk of heart failure, and a 56% lower risk of heart attack