This research synthesis reviewed 20 studies with 149,880 participants across 27 countries to explore the link between healthy eating and happiness. The results show that healthy eating—especially frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables—is consistently associated with higher happiness, even after controlling for health and other variables. Contrary to concerns that healthy eating might reduce enjoyment (e.g., due to food preferences), the review found no evidence of a trade-off between healthy eating and happiness. Instead, it revealed a “trade-on” effect—healthy diets tend to enhance life satisfaction.

Key findings include:

• The positive effects are not fully explained by better physical health, suggesting direct or social psychological benefits of healthy eating.
• The relationship appears to be universal, with minimal variation by age, gender, or geography.
• Some evidence suggests a dose-response effect, with three or more portions of fruits and vegetables per day linked to greater happiness.
• There is limited evidence on the optimal level or specific types of diets for individual differences, highlighting the need for more research.

Reference — Veenhoven, R. (2021). Will healthy eating make you happier? A research synthesis using an online findings-archive. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 16(1), 221–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-019-09748-7

Keywords & Nodes

• food
• nutrition
• diet
• Mental health is metabolic health.
• Access to nutritious food as a public health and mental health topic.
• 6. Biology

A simple, highly credible set of guidelines for nutrition is the “Pegan” diet from Mark Hyman.

Fiber intake improves health (and thus happiness).