The Longest Running Study on Happiness
The Longest-Running Study on Happiness
What really makes us happy in life? Contrary to what you might think, it's not career achievement, money, exercise, or a healthy diet. Through 85 years of study the bottom line is this: Positive relationships keep us happier, healthier, and help us live longer. Period.
The 85-year Harvard Study
The Vibe: Positive relationships keep us happier, healthier, and help us live longer - but they don't just happen. These relationships must be cultivated and nurtured.
The Details: In 1938, Harvard researchers embarked on a decades-long study to find out what makes us happy and fulfilled in life. They gathered health records from 724 participants from different walks of life and differing income levels and asked detailed questions about their lives at two-year intervals.
The number one key to a happy life is "Social fitness". Similar to physical fitness, our social life is a living system and it needs exercise and to be tended to in order to be fit.
There are many articles on the Harvard study and I find this one to be succinct and helpful in explaining more about social fitness. It also includes a handy table to help assess your relationships: An 85-year Harvard Study found the No. 1 thing that makes us happy in life: It helps us 'live longer'.
A more in-depth article from the Harvard Gazette: Good genes are nice, but joy is better, which states:
"The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health....Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too. That, I think, is the revelation.
Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives, the study revealed. Those ties protect people from life's discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes. That finding proved true across the board among both the Harvard men and the inner-city participants."
To Thrive: Get clear on the relationships that are most energizing and fulfilling to you and intentionally carve out time for those people.
We are all stuck in our habits, many which are solitary in nature such as watching TV and scrolling social media/email. It takes intentional effort to create time for your relationships.
These days texts tend to outweigh phone calls. But what if you committed to 10 minutes, two times a week to call a friend, parent, sibling, child, or colleague? How about starting with just once a week?
Or combining some of your tasks - maybe while driving or waiting in line. One of my favorites are my "walk and talks", meetings I set up specifically to be phone-only so I can get my fitness in while connecting with others.
Even sending a quick daily video message creates connection. I've been doing this for over a year with a friend and it takes no more than 1 minute each morning. Bonus: we use Snapchat with their funny filters to start our day off with humor :)
You deserve to be happy and if you are intentional about it, you can increase your happiness and your life span. The study proves it.
Whatever you choose to do - recognize that it is YOUR choice. Your relationships matter to your happiness, your health, and your fulfillment. Choose wisely :)
Cheers to meaningful connection,
Sharon
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