--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When it comes to our health, there are…" description: "\"When it comes to our health, there are essentially four things under our control: the decision not to smoke, a commitment to exercise, the quality of o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/martin-seligman-5268_beneficial_when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-es_1254050.jpg" --- # When it comes to our health, there are essentially four… ![“When it comes to our health, there are essentially four things under our control: the decision not to smoke, a commitment to exercise, the quality of our diet, and our level of optimism. And optimism is at least as beneficial as the others.” quote by Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/martin-seligman-5268_beneficial_when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-es_1254050.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/martin-seligman-5268_beneficial_when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-es_1254050.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/martin-seligman-5268_beneficial_when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-es_1254050.jpg) > “When it comes to our health, there are essentially four things under our control: the decision not to smoke, a commitment to exercise, the quality of our diet, and our level of optimism. And optimism is at least as beneficial as the others.” [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Four health pillars are smoking avoidance, regular exercise, good diet, and optimism, with optimism being equally vital. **In simple terms:** Health depends on not smoking, exercise, diet, and optimism. Key Takeaway Cultivate optimism alongside healthy habits. Themes health well‑being psychology Mood motivational optimistic Type self‑help inspirational When to use this quote - personal fitness - nutrition planning - mental health coaching Key Concepts behavioral science positive psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you boost optimism daily? - Which habit will you improve first? A Different Perspective Optimism may be harder to measure but still crucial for health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beneficial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beneficial/) [Comes Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-health-2275123/) [Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Diets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diets/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-essentially-362590/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimism Beneficial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism-beneficial-3962415/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Smoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoke/) [Smoke Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoke-commitment-3962414/) ## Related quotes > [But if you get chronically, psychosocially stressed, you're going to compromise your health. So, essentially, we've evolved to be smart enough to make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/but-if-you-get-chronically-psychosocially-stressed-you-re-going-to/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [Family comes first. Then health. If you dont have those two components, there isn't much joy in a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-comes-first-then-health-if-you-dont-have-those-two-components/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The pandemic has proved true over and over again what was already well known: that income and wealth are protective when it comes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lowrey/the-pandemic-has-proved-true-over-and-over-again-what-was-already/) [Annie Lowrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lowrey/) > [I would like to be the face of the Republican Party when it comes to health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/i-would-like-to-be-the-face-of-the-republican-party-when-it-comes-to/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [I've always been like a guinea pig when it comes to health trends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-bronfman/i-ve-always-been-like-a-guinea-pig-when-it-comes-to-health-trends/) [Hannah Bronfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-bronfman/) > [When it comes to health and well-being, regular exercise is about as close to a magic potion as you can get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/when-it-comes-to-health-and-well-being-regular-exercise-is-about-as/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Optimism is a huge help when it comes to health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tia-mowry/optimism-is-a-huge-help-when-it-comes-to-health/) [Tia Mowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tia-mowry/) > [I really believe that beauty comes from health - sensible eating and exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dita-von-teese/i-really-believe-that-beauty-comes-from-health-sensible-eating-and/) [Dita Von Teese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dita-von-teese/) > [I think the U.S. is conflicted. When it comes to our own health care, we all want the best - access to the latest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-williams/i-think-the-u-s-is-conflicted-when-it-comes-to-our-own-health-care-we/) [Ron Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-williams/) > [First, educate yourself about what a vegan diet entails and why it is beneficial to your health. You need to understand and embrace the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-player/first-educate-yourself-about-what-a-vegan-diet-entails-and-why-it-is/) [Gary Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-player/) > [Optimistic people generally feel that good things will last a long time and will have a beneficial effect on everything they do. And they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/optimistic-people-generally-feel-that-good-things-will-last-a-long/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [There are forces in life working for you and against you. One must distinguish the beneficial forces from the malevolent ones and choose correctly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-kalam/there-are-forces-in-life-working-for-you-and-against-you-one-must/) [Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-kalam/) > [There's a lot of evidence that fruits and vegetables are beneficial for reducing the risk of stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-willett/there-s-a-lot-of-evidence-that-fruits-and-vegetables-are-beneficial/) [Walter Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-willett/) > [It's bad form to mention money-laundering. Instead, you talk about asset-management structures and tax beneficial schemes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sweeney/it-s-bad-form-to-mention-money-laundering-instead-you-talk-about/) [John Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sweeney/) > [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) ## More by Martin Seligman > [It used to be that whenever I introduced myself to people and told them I was a psychologist, they would shrink away from me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/it-used-to-be-that-whenever-i-introduced-myself-to-people-and-told/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I have never worked on interrogation; I have never seen an interrogation, and I have only a passing knowledge of the literature on interrogation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/i-have-never-worked-on-interrogation-i-have-never-seen-an/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I'm trying to broaden the scope of positive psychology well beyond the smiley face. Happiness is just one-fifth of what human beings choose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/i-m-trying-to-broaden-the-scope-of-positive-psychology-well-beyond/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [It's a matter of ABC: When we encounter ADVERSITY, we react by thinking about it. Our thoughts rapidly congeal into BELIEFS. These beliefs may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/it-s-a-matter-of-abc-when-we-encounter-adversity-we-react-by-thinking/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [One of the things psychologists used to say was that if you are depressed, anxious or angry, you couldn't be happy. Those were at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/one-of-the-things-psychologists-used-to-say-was-that-if-you-are/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [It is the combination of reasonable talent and the ability to keep going in the face of defeat that leads to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/it-is-the-combination-of-reasonable-talent-and-the-ability-to-keep/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [Psychology is much bigger than just medicine, or fixing unhealthy things. It's about education, work, marriage - it's even about sports. What I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/psychology-is-much-bigger-than-just-medicine-or-fixing-unhealthy/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [What humans want is not just happiness. They want justice; they want meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/what-humans-want-is-not-just-happiness-they-want-justice-they-want/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I have spent most of my life working with mental illness. I have been president of the world's largest association of mental-illness workers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/i-have-spent-most-of-my-life-working-with-mental-illness-i-have-been/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [Finding permanent and universal causes for misfortune is the practice of despair...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/finding-permanent-and-universal-causes-for-misfortune-is-the-practice/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [We deprive our children, our charges, of persistence. What I am trying to say is that we need to fail, children need to fail,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/we-deprive-our-children-our-charges-of-persistence-what-i-am-trying/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [One of my worries about America is the epidemic of depression we've been in. One of the possibilities about that is that the 'I'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/one-of-my-worries-about-america-is-the-epidemic-of-depression-we-ve/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [The Fundamentalist Religions simply seem to offer more hope for a brighter future than do the more liberal, humanistic ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/the-fundamentalist-religions-simply-seem-to-offer-more-hope-for-a/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [If the point of the inner-child movement is to cure adult problems, it doesn't work. Reliving childhood traumas gives you a nice afterglow, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/if-the-point-of-the-inner-child-movement-is-to-cure-adult-problems-it/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I don't mind being wrong, and I don't mind changing my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/i-don-t-mind-being-wrong-and-i-don-t-mind-changing-my-mind/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) [Explore all 102 Martin Seligman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) ## More Beneficial quotes > [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) > [It's bad form to mention money-laundering. Instead, you talk about asset-management structures and tax beneficial schemes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sweeney/it-s-bad-form-to-mention-money-laundering-instead-you-talk-about/) [John Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sweeney/) > [There's a lot of evidence that fruits and vegetables are beneficial for reducing the risk of stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-willett/there-s-a-lot-of-evidence-that-fruits-and-vegetables-are-beneficial/) [Walter Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-willett/) > [There are forces in life working for you and against you. One must distinguish the beneficial forces from the malevolent ones and choose correctly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-kalam/there-are-forces-in-life-working-for-you-and-against-you-one-must/) [Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-kalam/) > [We may conclude, therefore, that, in order to establish laws for the regulation of property, we must be acquainted with the nature and situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/we-may-conclude-therefore-that-in-order-to-establish-laws-for-the/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [The addition of nuts in salad... I always find to be beneficial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-david/the-addition-of-nuts-in-salad-i-always-find-to-be-beneficial/) [Larry David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-david/) > [Bad deeds, and deeds hurtful to ourselves, are easy to do; what is beneficial and good, that is very difficult to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-muller/bad-deeds-and-deeds-hurtful-to-ourselves-are-easy-to-do-what-is/) [Max Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-muller/) > [Eventually it became clear that our emotions, attitudes, and thoughts profoundly affect our bodies, sometimes to the degree of life or death. Soon mind-body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/eventually-it-became-clear-that-our-emotions-attitudes-and-thoughts/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [Physical beings want things to be the same. They want people to think the same. You work rather hard at sameness, but you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/physical-beings-want-things-to-be-the-same-they-want-people-to-think/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [In many instances, LSD actually produced terrifying and deleterious effects instead of beneficial effects, because of misuse, because it was a profanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-hofmann/in-many-instances-lsd-actually-produced-terrifying-and-deleterious/) [Albert Hofmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-hofmann/) > [Nothing will ever please me, no matter how excellent or beneficial, if I must retain the knowledge of it to myself. . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/nothing-will-ever-please-me-no-matter-how-excellent-or-beneficial-if/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Sitting too long in front of a screen proves both physically and psychologically debilitating, no matter how innocuous or even beneficial the programs may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/sitting-too-long-in-front-of-a-screen-proves-both-physically-and/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Never discount a country by their size or resources. What may not be useful to yours, could be greatly beneficial to other lands in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/never-discount-a-country-by-their-size-or-resources-what-may-not-be/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [The event of the landing of these brethren upon our shores is to be, not without its beneficial effect, as well to the colored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-tappan/the-event-of-the-landing-of-these-brethren-upon-our-shores-is-to-be/) [Lewis Tappan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-tappan/) > [Genetic engineering is a result of science advancement, so I don't think that in itself is bad. If used wisely, genetics can be beneficial,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideo-kojima/genetic-engineering-is-a-result-of-science-advancement-so-i-don-t/) [Hideo Kojima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideo-kojima/) [Browse all 510 Beneficial quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beneficial/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When it comes to our health, there are essentially four things under our control: the decision not to smoke, a commitment to exercise, the quality of our diet, and our level of optimism. And optimism is at least as beneficial as the others.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Seligman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-essentially-four-things-under/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beneficial" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-essentially-four-things-under/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/martin-seligman-5268_beneficial_when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-es_1254050.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/martin-seligman-5268_beneficial_when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-es_1254050.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/075/martin-seligman-5268_beneficial_when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-es_1254050.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When it comes to our health, there are essentially four things under our control: the decision not to smoke…” — Martin Seligman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Martin Seligman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When it comes to our health,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-essentially-four-things-under/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/when-it-comes-to-our-health-there-are-essentially-four-things-under/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```