It All Makes Sense Now: Eating Fruits And Vegetables Makes Us Happier

It may sound like an old wives' tale you'd tell your kids to get them to eat their broccoli, but it's true: Eating produce really does make your happier.A new large-scale study from the University of Warwick of more than 12,000 randomly selected people in the UK has found a definitive psychological link between fruit and vegetable consumption and overall happiness.

Participants were expected to keep food diaries to document what they ate and how they felt. Those in the group who gradually increased their produce eating habits from zero portions a day to eight saw a notable positive change in mental health over the course of 24 months. Andrew Oswald, professor of economics and behavioral science at the University of Warwick, noted that this was a lot different than how the body's immune system reacts to increase consumption of greens. For instance, although  could take years before eating fruits and vegetables could lead to cancer protection.

The happiness effect, according to the study, is cumulative. The more servings of fruits and vegetables you eat every day, the better your mind and mental state will be in going forward. Researchers described the boost of "feel-good" emotions as similar to the feeling you get when you go from unemployed to hired.