Americans are all about pursuing happiness, but how do we do that, exactly? Dr. Robert Waldinger may have cracked the code on what makes for a happy and healthy life and he’s got research to back it up. He’s the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, possibly the longest-running study on human happiness, which started way back in 1938.
Waldinger is also a psychiatrist, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a Zen priest and coauthor of “The Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.” he says a lot of components factor into a happier life, but one thing is the key: quality relationships. He explains that the study has found that staying “actively connected” to at least a couple of people gives us a sense of connection we need, helps with stress relief and keeps us from feeling lonely.
“The people who were connected to other people lived longer and stayed physically healthier than the people who were more isolated,” Waldinger shares. “That was the surprise in our study: not that people were happier but that they lived longer.”
Here’s what the expert recommends to live your happiest life:
- Don’t neglect the basics - Prioritize your physical health by exercising regularly, eating well, not abusing drugs or alcohol and getting a “reasonable amount” of sleep.
- Level up your social life - Invest in your personal relationships and improve your “social fitness” by getting involved in social activities and meeting new people.
- Strengthen existing relationships - Stay in touch and connected with people who are important to you.
- Express yourself - Waldinger encourages people to consider the values most important to them and to express them. He says people who are involved with activities that let them express what’s meaningful to them are the happiest.
- Accept and embrace change - We change all the time, the important thing is supporting that change instead of resisting it.
Source: CNN