Party On Connecticut: UConn Study Finds Celebrations Can Be 'Healthy'

STORRS, CT — A University of Connecticut study suggests that certain celebrations can be beneficial to general health and well-being.

The findings come from of UConn marketing professor Danielle Brick, whose research was just published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

"Celebrations are an area that have certainly been under-studied," Brick said. "They are so commonplace and ingrained in our culture that we don’t think too much about them. But why are we doing this? Why do we have celebrations? What are the benefits? Sure, it is fun and enjoyable to mark a special occasion, but there are also tremendous mental health and wellbeing benefits that can come from it."

The researchers discovered that the most successful celebrations require a social gathering, with food or drink, and the intentionally marking of a "positive life event."

The celebration reinforces participants' social support and the belief that he or she has a social network that will be there in case of future, negative life events, the study says. The events need not be lavish or expensive either, the research suggests, so they take place even in a "tight economy."

Even a virtual party will work, according tp the research.

Brick and her co-authors, including professors Kelly Wight of Indiana University, and James Bettman, Tanya Chartrand, and Gavan Fitzsimons of Duke University, used behavioral experiments to survey thousands of participants over several years.

The research also suggests that hosting celebrations can be especially beneficial when "serving populations at risk of loneliness and isolation," like visiting those in nursing homes or attending events at community centers.

See more on the study on the UConn Today site.