"I'LL DIE WITH THE HAMMER IN MY HAND": JOHN HENRYISM AS A PREDICTOR OF HAPPINESS.

This paper examines the association between John Henryism - a behavioral predisposition to cope actively with psychosocial environmental stressors - and happiness. On the basis of previous research on aspiration and goal regulation, we predicted that John Henryism would be negatively associated with happiness when controlling for demographic factors and attainment in various domains of life. We tested the prediction in a sample of hypertensive participants (n=758) drawn from an inner-city, mainly African-American, safety-net hospital in Jefferson County, Alabama.

Health and happiness among older adults: a community-based study.

The relationship between health and happiness was explored using a cross-sectional survey of 383 community-dwelling older adults. As a function of self-reported health, median happiness was increasing at a decreasing rate; happiness variability was decreasing at a decreasing rate. In multivariable logistic regression, lowest-quartile happiness was associated with poverty, unfavorable subjective health, debilitating pain and urinary incontinence, but not with the comorbidity count or other comorbidities.

Effect of racial differences on ability to afford prescription medications.

Purpose: The association of race with not filling prescription medications because of cost for African-American and white patients 65 years or older was examined.

Methods: African-American and white patients age 65 years or older were recruited from the practices of 48 Alabama primary care physicians participating in the Alabama Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drug Patient Safety Study. All eligible patients were asked questions related to their ability to pay for prescription medications, comorbidities, insurance status, and socioeconomic status.