The world’s longest study of adult development finds the key to happy living

These are the key findings of a 85 years long study carried out by Harvard University at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital:

1. The people who were happiest, who stayed healthiest as they grew old, and who lived the longest were the people who had the warmest connections with other people.

2. Physical fitness is an ongoing practice: I don’t go to the gym today and then come home and say, ‘Good. I’m done. I don’t ever have to do that again.’ The same is true with relationships.

3. In terms of strengthening connections, you could do this right now. You could think of somebody who you haven’t seen in a while, somebody who you really enjoy but who you don’t stay in touch with as much as you want to. Take out your phone, send them a text or an email, and say, “I was thinking of you, just wanted to say hello.” It’ll take you 15 seconds, and if you do that, you will be amazed at what comes back.

4. Can you get the same happiness from a meaningful career as from a meaningful relationship? No, you can’t. It’s different. There is a lot to be said for achievement if what you’re doing is meaningful to you. What we find is that the badges of achievement don’t make people happy. We had people who were CEOs, who made lots of money, or who became famous. Those things did not relate to happiness.

5. What we found is that the people who were the happiest were not isolated. They were not workaholics who didn’t pay any attention to their relationships. Those people were some of the saddest folks in our study and were filled with regret when they were in their 80s and we asked them to look back on their lives.

6. The value of service: if you feel like you don’t have anybody in your life, think about ways to be of service. That could be so many different things. It could be volunteering at a food bank. It could be teaching people English as a second language. It could be so many things where you have skills, and if you use those skills it’s very gratifying. It makes other people grateful to you for your service. That’s another way to think about starting down a path where you may connect more with others.

Thanks to 麦肯锡 for sharing this amazing interview with Robert Waldinger , Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development.

Here is the link to the full interview: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/author-talks-the-worlds-longest-study-of-adult-development-finds-the-key-to-happy-living?