Punab says mental state is key to avoiding unhappiness
Sunday 13th September 2026 on 14:45 in
Estonia
Men’s health doctor Margus Punab told ERR’s programme Hommik Anuga that a person’s state of mind is the most important factor in well-being. He said people should also build strong social networks while they are young, because withdrawing into the home later in life can be deeply sad.
“If you have managed to keep your body more or less free of major foolishness, if you find life interesting and can reasonably control your mind, then this is one of the most enjoyable times,” said Punab, a men’s health doctor at Tartu University Clinic and author of the book Your Life’s Most Beautiful and Freest Act.
“The most important thing is our state of mind, or how we think. If your state of mind is not in order, a person will remain unhappy,” he said.
Punab said it was important to live in the present, the only time people can influence, rather than in past regrets or fear of the future. He also highlighted gratitude and the ability to forgive.
“We do not have to justify things, but to forgive,” Punab said.
He said physical activity was essential, recommending 30 minutes of movement that slightly raises the heart rate, as well as attention to maintaining muscle strength.
Punab said people needed to care continuously for three components: their state of mind, physical activity and mental activity. Life should remain interesting and include something that gets a person out of bed every morning, he said.
People also need a social network to which they belong, Punab said. Building that network from a young age is particularly important. To keep the brain active, people should learn something new, such as joining a choir or taking up dancing.
He said people who appear dominant, including so-called alpha males, may be especially vulnerable when their support network, often a partner, disappears. “The more outwardly dominant a person is, the more vulnerable they are when they lose their network,” Punab said. People need to feel needed, he added.
Maintaining sexuality and physical contact is also important, Punab said. He urged people to trust their bodies and avoid activities that do not suit them, noting that not everything is suitable for everyone.