Have you ever wondered which factors contribute to a good life? Why do some people live happy lives? And others not?
A study tracking the lives of 724 men over the past 78 years has come up with some very interesting findings. This Harvard Study of Adult Development has found five major factors that contribute to a happy life.
Happy childhoods matter:
Children having warm relationships with their parents are predicted to have warmer and more secure relationships with those closest to them in adulthood. Warmer childhood relationships also predict better physical health in adulthood, even into old age.
Fostering the welfare of the next generation can ease the sting of difficult childhoods:
People who grew up in difficult childhood environments, for instance in chaotic families and/or in uncertain economic circumstances, are predicted to grow old less happy than those in more fortunate childhoods. However, when these people engage in mentoring younger people at home or at work, they are happier and better adjusted than those who do not engage in these activities.
Coping effectively with stress has lifelong benefits:
The study has found that people who cope with stress by engaging more directly with the reality of the stressful situation, rather than ignoring it, have better relationships and more social support. This predicts healthier aging in their 60s and 70s.
Breaking bad habits earlier in life makes a difference:
People who gave up smoking earlier in life are less likely to develop lung cancer as they grow old. In addition, starting to exercise earlier in life predicts that people will stay healthy longer in life, with their brains staying sharper and their immune systems stronger.
Time with others makes us happier:
When they look back on their lives, people often state that their time with others is the most meaningful part of life, and what they are the most proud of. Time with other people made them happier on a day-to-day basis.
About the study:
The Study of Adult Development by the Harvard Medical School started in the late 1930s and followed the lives of 2 groups of men (724 in total) – some Harvard students and some boys from the Boston inner city – to identify the psychosocial predictors of healthy aging. The study looked at what psychosocial variables and biological processes from earlier in life would predict health and well-being in later life; what aspects of childhood and adult experiences would predict the quality of intimate relationships in later life, and how late life marriage is linked to health and well-being.
Sources:
Harvard Study of Adult Development. (www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org.
5 Research-backed lessons on what makes a happy life. Posted on 8 May 2017. Harvard Medical School. (www.health.harvard.edu)
HEALTH INSIGHT
MARCH 2017