Relationships

Robert Waldinger knows a lot about happiness. He is the fourth director of the world’s longest running study of happiness. Officially called the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the research began in 1938 with 268 Harvard undergraduates (all male as the school did not enroll women then) and later 456 14-year-old boys who had grown up in one of Boston’s severely disadvantaged neighborhoods. The study continues to the present day and has expanded with over 1,300 direct descendants of the original participants.

The goal of the project is to find out what factors are most important in making a happy and meaningful life. When entering the study, all participants were and are interviewed and given medical exams. Throughout their lives, they receive brain scans, blood tests and frequent interviews. With eight decades of scientific research now amassed, the results are being revealed.

Waldinger admits surprise at the most important factor in happy and healthy lives…it is social relationships. Here is a summary of the findings from the Harvard Gazette:

“Close relationships, more than money and fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives. Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline and are predictors of long and happy lives more than social class, IQ, or even genes. That finding proved true across the board among both Harvard participants and the inner city participants.”

The reverse of these findings is also true. Loneliness can end lives more quickly. Dr. Waldinger points out the importance of consciously working on our social relationships, for example, not putting off that call to a friend or striking up conversations during casual encounters.

I am a firm believer in science and enjoyed reading and sharing these findings. But a funny thought occurred to me when writing this piece. A song from the 1964 musical Funny Girl did predict the study’s findings. That song entitled “People” contains the famous line “People, people who need people, are the luckiest people in the world.” Now we all know that is a proven fact.

Happy Valentines Day. It’s important.

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