Monday, November 20, 2017
A Harvard study started in 1938, and continuing for 75 years, with four generations of researchers, has documented the keys to happiness for men. Relationships make men happy. Not hard work, as society would like us to believe. Men who flourished had close ties with family, friends, and community. The study found no correlation of happiness to fame, wealth, social class, IQ, or genes.
The study started with 724 men (yes – all men – it was 1938) from a wide demographic. Sixty of the men are still alive today, now in their 90’s. The study team talked to the participants every two years during the study. The lessons learned included:
- Relationships are very important.
- Loneliness kills (1 in 5 Americans say they are lonely).
- Toxic relationships are worse than no relationships.
- Physical pain does not diminish happiness.
- Many saw fame and fortune as more important when they were young, but changed their minds later in life.
This is one of the longest such studies. The current director of the study, Robert Waldinger, gave a TED Talk giving an overview of the study results.