For 75 years, Harvard researchers have been studying what makes for a happy, healthy life. What they’ve learned from following 724 men and more recently their wives, is that fame and fortune is not the answer. Instead, it’s the relationships in our lives. Strong, close relationships are tied to emotional and physical well being, according to the data they gathered from following 724 men, and more recently, their wives. In this 12:46 video, Robert Waldinger, the 4th director of this long-term study, shares the three important lessons learned from the study:
Social connections are good for us and loneliness kills.
It’s not the number of friends we have, but the quality of our close relationships that make us happy and healthy.
It isn’t our middle age cholesterol levels but the level of satisfaction with our relationships that determined our level of health. It even makes our brains healthier. People in relationships where they feel they can really count on the other stay sharper in old age.
Robert also shares some practical, old-as-the-hills wisdom on how to build a fulfilling, long life. Enjoy! And may your life be happy and healthy!
