The Understanding Society study of 40,000 households in the UK found that regardless of gender, age, family income and parent’s education, unhealthy lifestyles including alcohol consumption and smoking impacted upon happiness.
A survey of 5,000 young people aged 10 to 15 revealed that those who consumed alcohol were four to six times more likely to be unhappy than those who had not. Those who did not smoke were five times more likely to be happy. More hours of sport a week also increased likelihood of happiness.
Dr Cara Booker, co-author of the report, said: "What this research shows us is that young people across the social spectrum are failing to eat healthy balanced diets and are starting to consume alcohol at a young age. This is storing up problems for later life because we know that there are clear long-term links between health-related behaviours and wellbeing in adulthood.
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