Based Upon Harvard Business School’s Study of the Same Name
People continually search for happiness in a variety of places, and through a variety of ways. If you ask many millennials today “What makes a good life?”, a good majority will include riches and fame. If you ask someone in their 60s, it might be “a solid retirement account”. There are many studies that bear evidence to the key to this coveted state, however few with as much breadth as Harvard Business School’s study on the subject matter. The current study director, Robert Waldinger shares the results through the appropriately titled TED Talk, “What Makes a Good Life – Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness”.
The study is still ongoing after 75 years – the longest study of its kind. Over this time period, they took pictures of people’s lives, studied the results, and analyzed the data. The original director invited 724 men to participate. Half of the men were in their sophomore year at Harvard, and half of the men were from Boston’s poorest neighborhoods in the 1930s, growing up in troubled and disadvantaged families – most of them living in tenements.
These men went on to work in many industries; they were lawyers, masons, doctors, factory workers, and the group included one President of the United States. Some climbed the social ladder to the top and some went in the opposite direction.
Every two years they’ve been interviewed extensively in paper and most recently, in video format. The researchers also interviewed their parents, spouses and children. Blood has been drawn, their brains scanned, and doctor’s records have been reviewed.
What did they learn over the 75 years of studying these men, and now their wives? They learned in a nutshell, that a good warm high-quality relationship, one where
they can truly count on their partner in times of need, leads to happy and healthy lives. Over the years, those in a healthy relationship at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80, and it seemed to buffer them through the ages. Bad relationships as it turns out were conversely detrimental to their health. So why are relationships so hard? Waldinger sums it up well; they’re messy, life is complicated, and the hard work is life long and intentional.
So how can we make the best effort to make a good life? The best place to start building a good relationship is with self-awareness. Those that know themselves and understand others are more likely to develop the skills necessary to adapt, understand, and grow in their relationship skills.
The benefits of developing a better sense of self :
- Gaining commitment and cooperation by adapting your communication style so that you’re best heard.
- Develop effective teams in both your personal and professional life. Learning behavior styles allows you to stop judging and start understanding.
- Resolving and prevent conflict by understanding style similarities and differences and learn how to meet another’s personal behavioral needs.
- Gain endorsement by developing trust with those that you’ve gained credibility and influence through effective communication. They will endorse you or “be on your side”.
The good life is built with good relationships. Good relationships begin with you.
Ready to develop a better understanding of self? Click here for your free DISC Assessment that uncovers recurring behavior patterns and preferred communication styles.
When prompted, enter the following response link: 296161WCU
Want to learn more about behavioral styles and how they impact your professional and personal life? Contact our Certified Behaviors Analyst today to learn more.
[contact_form email=”jennifer@nicholsaccounting.com” subject=”Behaviors and Motivators”]