The Harvard study of adult development which went across…

The Harvard study of adult development which went across 85 years of looking at advantage and disadvantaged people found that social fitness or social relationships are the most critical factor to long life. It is important to develop these social fitness skills. It is easy to take relationships for granted in today's society. An important part of social fitness is what is called cognitive flexibility. This is the capacity to see the world through the other person's eyes and to express empathic understanding of others. Important point is the question of is happiness the goal or is it the process?

— from Friends, Community & Society (Relationships/Community/Society) · GB writing

In the book

The longest study ever conducted on human happiness — Harvard followed the same people for more than eighty-five years — reached one overwhelming conclusion: the quality of your relationships is the strongest predictor of a long, healthy, happy life — stronger than money, stronger than fame, stronger than how clever or accomplished you turn out to be. The people who flourish into old age are the ones who stayed connected. [Tell here, in your own words, about a friendship or a community that carried you through a hard season — and what you would tell your younger self about how much the people around you would come to matter.] — Friends, Community & Society (Relationships/Community/Society)

If I had to name the single finding that runs underneath all the research on happiness, it's this: so much of what makes us happy depends on other people. The longest study ever done on the subject — Harvard followed the same lives for over eighty years — found that the quality of your relationships is the single greatest predictor of a long and happy life, more than money, more than fame. The ingredients turn out to be a few: a sense of control and autonomy over your life, being guided by meaning and purpose, and real connection with other people. […] Don't fix on the flaw. Refuse the missing-piece habit and the comparison habit; swat the automatic negative thoughts. Invest in people. Relationships are the greatest predictor of a happy life; be a giver, not a taker. Children — I have flown a long flight, and I'll tell you plainly: I have very few regrets. — Enjoy the Flight (Living/Balance/Happiness/Passion)

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