From kings to prophets
Very few studies of this kind survive very long for several reasons, i.e. people dropping out of the study, funding being stopped, or researchers becoming disinterested (or dying).
The researchers tracked every part of their lives since it began, asking about their home lives, work, family, relationships, and anything else relevant to their lives.
The participants were interviewed and tested extensively when they joined the study first. They then grew up to become adults in all walks of life. They became doctors, lawyers, drivers, and one participant even became president of the United States (John F. Kennedy).
The Harvard Study of Adult Development may be the most extended study on adult life that has ever been carried out.
Over 80 years ago, in 1940, a team of researchers began tracking the lives of 724 men.
Through a combination of luck and the persistence of several generations of researchers, the study survived. In 2015, about 60 of the original 724 men were still alive and participating in the study. And over 2,000 of the original men’s children are now part of the study too.
To start with, people who are more socially connected to family, friends, and community are physically healthier, happier, and live longer.
By looking at human beings throughout their entire adult lives, the team of researchers can offer some valuable insight into what makes a happy and healthy life.
Loneliness is a killer. People who are more isolated than they want to be from others find that they are less happy, their health declines earlier in midlife, their brain function declines sooner, and they live shorter lives overall than people who are not lonely.
The sad fact is that loneliness, especially within populations in more affluent countries, is very prevalent. It is commonplace amongst senior citizens, but younger people are also very susceptible to feeling lonely.
To get the most precise picture, they didn't just send them questionnaires. They drew their blood, performed brain scans, talked to their children and friends, got their medical records, and even video recorded them speaking with their wives. Eventually, their wives and other women became subjects of the research too.
The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80.
The second most significant lesson from the study was that the quality of people’s close relationships is essential to their happiness.
People who were in relationships and felt like they couldn't count on the other person experienced earlier memory decline.
When people who were in unhappy relationships felt physical pain, their emotional pain magnified it.
But some people became alcoholics, and others developed schizophrenia. Some people went from the bottom of the social ladder to the top, and some went in the opposite direction.
The kinds of relationships that affected people’s memories weren’t defined by constant harmony without any bickering. What was important was whether or not they felt like they could rely on the other person.
People who were in securely-attached relationships, one’s where they found that they could rely on their partners in times of need, held onto their memories for longer.
The original participants thought that wealth and achievement would be a catalyst for their happiness. However, the research proved that people who fared the best and were happiest and healthiest were those who leaned into relationships, not work.
Sources: (Harvard Medical School)(Harvard Health Publishing)
See also: Top tips for a happy retirement
The message that "relationships are important" is as old as the hills, so why is it so easy to forget? The truth is that we are human, and we want quick fixes. Fostering good relationships is hard work, and it can be messy.
The people who were happiest in their retirement in this study were the ones who had actively gone out to replace their workmates with new friends.
Older people in good relationships reported that their moods were just as good even when they experienced physical pain.
The study suggests that highly conflicted marriages, without much affection, are terrible for people’s health and are perhaps even worse for their well-being than getting divorced.
The second group was made up of individuals from some of Boston’s poorest neighborhoods.
The original participants were from two groups. One group was indoctrinated into the study when they were sophomore students at Harvard University. These men fought in World War II when they graduated.
Conversely, good relationships are protective of our health and well-being. Looking back at people’s lives, the ones who had healthy relationships fared the best when they got older.
Another lesson from the study was that good relationships are not only good for our bodies, but they are also good for our brains.
In the modern Western world, through multiple forces, such as the media, we are given the impression that we should lean into our work, that somehow we will feel happy once we have achieved what we set out to do.
What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? In the modern world, we are told continuously that wealth and achievement will make us happy. However, various notable figures have revealed that becoming rich and famous didn’t make them happier, and research supports it doesn’t.
But how should we spend our energy, and what should we prioritize in our lives to give ourselves the best chance at being our happiest? Click through this gallery to discover insights from the most extensive study on happiness in history.
Insights from the most extensive study on happiness
Is happiness all about money?
LIFESTYLE Joy
What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? In the modern world, we are told continuously that wealth and achievement will make us happy. However, various notable figures have revealed that becoming rich and famous didn’t make them happier, and research supports it doesn’t.
But how should we spend our energy, and what should we prioritize in our lives to give ourselves the best chance at being our happiest? Click through this gallery to discover insights from the most extensive study on happiness in history.