Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | TED
TED・9 minutes read
Millennials prioritize wealth and fame, but the Harvard Study of Adult Development demonstrates that good relationships are vital for happiness and health throughout life, outshining other predictors like cholesterol levels and conflict in relationships.
Insights
- The Harvard Study of Adult Development spanning 75 years shows that good relationships are crucial for happiness and health, with the quality of relationships being more important than the quantity.
- Satisfaction in relationships at age 50 is a better predictor of health in old age than cholesterol levels, highlighting the significant impact of strong social connections on overall well-being.
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Recent questions
What do millennials prioritize in life?
Wealth and fame
What is emphasized for a good life?
Working hard and achieving more
What is crucial for happiness and health?
Good relationships
What predicts health in old age?
Satisfaction in relationships at age 50
What protects memory in old age?
Securely attached relationships
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Summary
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Relationships Key to Health and Happiness
- A recent survey of millennials revealed that over 80% consider getting rich a major life goal, while 50% also aim to become famous.
- Society often emphasizes working hard and achieving more as the key to a good life, but the long-term outcomes of such choices are difficult to predict.
- The Harvard Study of Adult Development, spanning 75 years, tracks the lives of 724 men from various backgrounds, including those from Harvard College and Boston's poorest neighborhoods.
- The study highlights that good relationships are crucial for happiness and health, with social connections being beneficial and loneliness being detrimental.
- Quality, not quantity, of relationships matters, as living in conflict is harmful while warm relationships are protective.
- Satisfaction in relationships at age 50 was a better predictor of health in old age than cholesterol levels, with good relationships buffering against the challenges of aging.
- Securely attached relationships in old age protect memory, emphasizing the importance of tending to family and friends throughout life for overall well-being.
