"The biggest surprise wasn’t so much that relationships are connected to psychological well-being. We kind of knew that… but what became surprising was the ways in which relationships get under our skin and affect our physical health."
Dr. Marc Schulz
EFR 678: How Loneliness Makes You Sick, How to Live a Meaningful Life, and Lessons From the World's Longest Study of Happiness with Dr. Marc Schulz
The one and only Dr. Marc Schulz shares his key takeaways from the world’s longest study on happiness which you can use to cultivate more meaningful relationships and live a more satisfying life. He explains what helps people thrive in life and how your lived experience can impact your mood and quality of life, and even those of your children.
What makes life a “good life"? According to the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study of happiness ever conducted (currently over 80 years), the answer to this question may be closer than you realize.
Dr. Marc Schulz, PhD is a Professor of Psychology, Director of Data Science, and Associate Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. Along with Robert Waldinger, Marc co-authored “The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Study of Happiness”.
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Key Highlights
Relationships are what keeps us flourishing in our lives because they nourish us in critical ways. As we’re coming out of the pandemic, we’re all figuring out how to re-establish our connections and make meaning in those connections. That why it’s the perfect time to focus on your relationships.
What is social fitness and why is it important? Listen in to learn how to improve your social fitness by practicing attunement and being present with others.
Marc details the cost of feeling lonely, highlighting the research-backed health risks of loneliness.
Attention is the most valuable thing that you can possess. Why? Tune in to find out!
Talking to strangers might be your worst nightmare or not feel worth it to you, but one study shows that talking to strangers can actually make you happier!
Marc breaks down some key takeaways and lessons from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, highlighting the connection between health, intention, and well-functioning relationships.
Can a high quality of life be passed down to our children through epigenetics?
Mutual vulnerability is a source of strength. “If you tune into people when they’re challenged, when they’re experiencing those negative emotions, you’re going to learn something that’s pretty important to them,” Marc says. This is a plead to you to lean into your loved ones when they’re going through difficult emotions.
Powerful Quotes by Dr. Marc Schulz
The risk that people face when they are lonely is of the same magnitude, people face the same amount of risk, as folks who are smoking cigarettes or who are obese… That’s why we’re talking about it as a major public health challenge.
It’s never too late to change.
What’s most important is if my partner thinks I’m trying hard to understand what their experience is. I can be wrong. I may not guess the emotions perfectly, but if my partner has a sense that I’m leaning in, trying to understand her, that’s going to help us in our relationship.
The biggest surprise wasn’t so much that relationships are connected to psychological well-being. We kind of knew that… but what became surprising was the ways in which relationships get under our skin and affect our physical health.
Recommended Resources:
Learn more about The Harvard Study of Adult Development
Get The Good Life by Marc Schulz, PhD and Robert Waldinger, MD
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