In a rare kind of ongoing research, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has managed to track the lives of 724 men for 79 years. The men were divided into two classes. The first group were sophomores at Harvard College while the second was a group of boys from Boston's poorest neighborhoods. They were investigated from the time they were teenagers all the way into old age to determine what keeps men healthy and happy.
Year after year (since 1938), researchers asked about their work, their lives, their health, without knowing how their stories were going to pan out. It turns out that flourishing in life is a function of close ties with family, friends, and community. It had nothing to do with fame, wealth, social class, IQ, genes, etc.
The fourth director of the study, Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said the study revealed that our relationships impact powerfully on our health.
Social connections are good for us; loneliness really kills.
While calling loneliness toxic, Waldinger said social connections made people happier and physically healthier. It made them live longer too.
The quality of our close relationships matter.
Instead of focusing on the quantity, it's vital to focus on the quality of our friendships.
Living in the midst of conflict affects our health. High-conflict marriages, for instance, affect our health negatively, perhaps more than getting a divorce. And living in the midst of warm, wholehearted relationships is protective.
Good relationships protect our brains, not just our bodies.
The study found that being attached to a relationship in your 80s is protective. Such people had sharper memories while people who were in relationships where they couldn't really count on the other person experienced gradual memory decline.
Read more on Inc.
Year after year (since 1938), researchers asked about their work, their lives, their health, without knowing how their stories were going to pan out. It turns out that flourishing in life is a function of close ties with family, friends, and community. It had nothing to do with fame, wealth, social class, IQ, genes, etc.
The fourth director of the study, Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said the study revealed that our relationships impact powerfully on our health.
Social connections are good for us; loneliness really kills.
While calling loneliness toxic, Waldinger said social connections made people happier and physically healthier. It made them live longer too.
The quality of our close relationships matter.
Instead of focusing on the quantity, it's vital to focus on the quality of our friendships.
Living in the midst of conflict affects our health. High-conflict marriages, for instance, affect our health negatively, perhaps more than getting a divorce. And living in the midst of warm, wholehearted relationships is protective.
Good relationships protect our brains, not just our bodies.
The study found that being attached to a relationship in your 80s is protective. Such people had sharper memories while people who were in relationships where they couldn't really count on the other person experienced gradual memory decline.
Read more on Inc.