“_How does fear operate upon the body to produce sickness? By paralysing the nerve centres, especially those of the vasomotor nerves, thus producing not only muscular relaxation, but capillary congestions of all kinds. This condition of the system invites attack, and there is no resilience or power of resistance. The gates of the citadel have been opened from within, and the enemy may enter at any point._” Therefore keep happy. First because, once again, non-happiness is a mistake. It acts, as I said just now, in a vicious circle, increasing itself. It poisons the blood, and this very poisoning tends to produce more non-happiness. It radiates itself, and is infectious. It inclines to become a fixed and sub-conscious habit. It sinks down into the sub-conscious self, and afterwards expresses itself in various ways which (as Psychoanalysts show) are not usually associated with their true mental cause. It is toxic, and produces non-health and non-efficiency, by wasting power and force; by bringing fatigue; by encouraging bad sleep; by injuring the whole body; by cramping the energies; by “distracting” the body and mind, and thus hindering concentration; by impeding the circulation, and the elimination of waste-matters; and by upsetting the rhythm and the deepness and thoroughness of the breathing, and all the vibrations of the physical system. Besides, it is ugly. It militates against financial success, and against social success--for who wants a non-happy acquaintance?--and against intellectual success. Consider this. Non-happiness is liable to make one’s work poor and inferior, difficult, tiring, and wanting in foresight and in perspective. It does not help. As Ian Maclaren said: “_What does your anxiety do? It does not empty to-morrow, brother, of its sorrow; but ah! it empties to-day of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it if it comes._” Therefore, keep happy. On the moral and ethical side, non-happiness, especially in the form of worry, is cowardly, unbalanced, against moral consistency and persistency, against self-control and self-mastery, and very unkind to others. Therefore, keep happy. Non-happiness shortens life, and brings premature, incompetent, burdensome old age. It is selfish, in the worst sense of the word; for there is a selfishness that is altruistic. It harms posterity, as--among other proofs--we see from the influence of a mother upon her babe before as well as after birth. It makes us less independent and less free. Therefore, keep happy. How Happiness Helps