Hey, guess what? Feeling good is good for you! A recent study found a connection between positive emotions and a lowered risk of coronary heart disease—pretty neat, huh? Specifically, they studied something called “positive affect,” which is basically just another way of saying that someone is experiencing positive emotions, and what they found was that increased positive emotions actually decreases your risk of developing heart disease by 22%… wow!

But before you roll your eyes and say, “Oh, now you expect me to be chipper and pleasant all day?” let’s not get carried away. Positive affect doesn’t mean you can’t have a slump here and there. Let’s face it, everyone has their down days. But overall, if you’re able to experience emotions like joy, happiness, excitement, enthusiasm, and contentment more often than negative emotions, you’re already on the right track to a healthier heart.

When it comes to good health, we simply can’t ignore the impact that our emotions have on our bodies…even the gut! When you experience emotions like anger, anxiety or stress, healthy digestion slows down, and that can lead to an upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation and other problems. I bet a lot of you are nodding your heads, right? Of course! We’ve all paid the price of negative emotions at one time or another, which is why it’s so important to turn that frown upside-down. And the next time you’re feeling upbeat, remember: your heart is getting the benefits!