A summary of happiness
For 75 years, they tracked the lives of 724 men. They’d ask questions once a year every year to check their happiness. 60 of original 724 men still alive, still in the study, and now the study is moving onto their children. The 1st group was a bunch of Harvard sophomores who soon went off to war. The 2nd group was a bunch of troubled Boston youths. Inner city Boston men ask why they want to still study them, but Harvard men never asked that. They didn’t just send a questionnaire, they interviewed in living rooms, took blood, looked at doctors records, took brain scans, etc. The clearest message from 75 year study was this though: good relationships keep us happier and healthier.
THE 3 big lessons: social relationships are really good for us and loneliness kills.
Physical pain is magnified by emotional pain.
good relationships don’t just help our bodies, they help our brains and memories.
People want a quick fix and relationships are hard and messy. Many young men thought fame and wealth were the key to happiness, like the millennials, but the people who leaned into relationships ended up the happiest and healthiest.
I need to incorporate quotes better and use more of the books ideas on summary to help me practice.
