Happiness – ein Konzept zur ganzheitlichen, personenzentrierten Gesundheitsversorgung in der Dermatologie

Background: Happiness is a concept in positive psychology. Studies have shown links between happiness, courses of diseases and health. In dermatology the role of happiness has not yet been sufficiently investigated. Research question: What impact do skin diseases have on individual happiness and what contribution can happiness make to holistic dermatological care? Material and methods: Processing of the current literature for a selective overview of primary scientific studies on happiness based on heuristic happiness and subjective well-being measured by positive and negative affects as well as satisfaction with life in dermatology. Results: Patients with skin diseases show significant impairments in happiness, especially in the positive affect and satisfaction with life compared to the healthy population. The impairments appear to be expressed differently for different dermatoses; for example, patients with skin cancer show significantly higher life satisfaction than other dermatological patients. Influencing factors vary in their strength and direction depending on the operationalization of happiness and the skin disease. Discussion: Dermatological diseases appear to be associated with impairments in happiness, particularly in the positive affect. Integrating happiness into dermatological care could help to have a better understanding of patients’ individual needs in the context of holistic, person-centered healthcare. Future research and specific interventions to improve happiness should be developed to promote positive health outcomes.