[SUMMARY] WHAT MAKES A GOOD LIFE? ROBERT WALDINGER
Robert Waldinger helped run the longest and deepest study on happiness. He and his colleagues studied for 75 years what keep people happy and healthy. 724 men, Harvard alumni, but also boys from Boston poorest neighborhoods have been tracked, and the research is now extended to their 2,000+ children.
The clearest message that they get out of this study is this: good relationships keep us happier and healthier.
They have learnt 3 big lessons about relationships: social connections are really good, they keep us happier, healthier and make us live longer, and loneliness kills ; it's all about the quality of our close relationships, people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80 ; good relationships, and feeling we can count on others in times of need, protect not only our body but also our brain.
Those good relationships don't have to be smooth all the time as long as you feel you can count on others. It's a life long commitment. The happiest people in the study were those who worked hard on replacing workmates with new playmates.
Possibilities to foster relationships are endless. As Mark Twain said, “There is only time for loving”. The good life is build with good relationships.