In 1938, Harvard University researchers set out to answer the question: What makes a good life? They enlisted 268 students and kept collecting yearly data for decades. They followed these people through college graduation, marriage, war, parenthood, life crises, and old age – and collected a wide range of data about their physical and mental wellbeing.
Then in 1967 as the original group were reaching middle age, researchers brought in a second cohort of 456 disadvantaged inner-city youths, who grew up in Boston neighborhoods in the early 1940s. This added interesting diversity to the study.
So what did they find made for a happy and successful life?
1. Think long term - success is seen over the whole of your life
Joshua Shenk, a journalist from The Atlantic and one of the first non-researchers to look at the data, said that “a glimpse of any one moment in a life can be deeply misleading.” Success is seen from the perspective of an entire life, not from any particular moment or achievement. Developing your ability to think long-term, and to connect your daily choices with an overarching purpose and vision, is the key.
2. Develop the skills to deal with life’s ups and downs
To be successful over the course of an entire life, one will inevitably deal with setbacks, struggles and pain.
3. Cultivate close relationships
The data shows close relationships with family, friends and community are what make people happy lifelong.
They are better predictors of long happy lives, physical health, and financial success, than social class, wealth, fame, or IQ.
This finding proved true, across the board among both the Harvard graduates and the inner-city participants.
Researchers found that loneliness kills as powerfully as smoking or alcoholism. Relationship also protects memory, even if there is arguing, as long as each feels they can count on the other when things get tough, the advantages hold.
There are valuable insights here for all of us, if you want to use kinesiology to help remove blocks to your own good relationships, or happiness in life call sunshine coast Kinesiologist Karen Emans 0408 748 532