5 Lessons from a Harvard Happiness Study
Almost dying of cancer in my early 30’s made me think about death very differently. Here are 5 powerful lessons on happiness, aging, and living well. Dr. Waldinger leads Harvard’s longest running research study on adult life, health, and happiness, tracking 700+ original participants and 1,300+ descendants over the past 85 years.
Happy 2-Tips Tuesday!
Here are two ideas to consider this week.
By Jennifer Broxterman, RD
1. 5 Lessons from a Harvard Happiness Researcher
Last week I attended my first ever shotgun wedding for my best friend Emily on the other side of Canada.
That last-minute move was inspired by the book I just finished reading called The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Dr. Robert Waldinger.
To jog your memory, Dr. Waldinger leads Harvard’s longest running research study on adult life, health, and happiness, tracking 700+ original participants and 1,300+ descendants over the past 85 years. The aim of this Harvard study is to look at the habits, environments, and behaviors of people who live to old age, and who get there in great health with high levels of self-reported happiness.
Almost dying of stage 3 ovarian cancer in my early 30’s made me think about death very differently, and I always take notes on my phone whenever I read a high impact book that zooms out to old age and examines a life worth living.
Here are the 5 biggest lessons I wrote down from The Good Life and after watching Dr. Waldinger’s TED Talk.
5 Powerful Lessons on Happiness
1️⃣ Lesson 1: Relationship Satisfaction
Relationship satisfaction at age 50 was the single greatest predictor of physical health at age 80. Read that again.
2️⃣ Lesson 2: Social Fitness
Just like going to the gym to improve our physical fitness, we also need to prioritize our “social fitness” by building healthy relationship habits and carving out social time into our routines. Look at your calendar. How much friendship time is there? There’s a reason why people feel more lonely and isolated than ever.
3️⃣ Lesson 3: Loneliness
A lack of social connection is worse for your health than tobacco and alcohol abuse, obesity, and more. Loneliness kills, and sadly it’s more prevalent than ever.
4️⃣ Lesson 4: Energy Vampires
Check your energy level after spending time with someone. Do you feel energized or drained? Spend more time with the energy givers and cut the vampires. Same advice goes for the online content you consume.
5️⃣ Lesson 5: The Harm of Ambivalent Relationships
An ambivalent relationship, fluctuating between support and negativity, harms mental health more than a purely toxic relationship. Why is that? With toxic people we know what to expect, but with ambivalence, the hurtful words and actions cut deeper after receiving intermittent love and support. Beware of these types of people. Makes sense why these types of relationships hurt us the most and over-play in our minds.
2. On Making Mistakes…
“Make a mistake? Release the guilt, remember the lesson.”
– James Clear
Use this coaching cue with your nutrition clients! (or yourself)
#share
Want to share this issue of 2-Tips Tuesday?
www.prospernutritioncoaching.com/blog/happiness-research
In Case You Missed Last Week...
❤️🐻🌈
Jen
Jen Broxterman
Registered Dietitian
Prosper Nutrition Coaching
Thanks for reading. Here are a few additional ways I might be able to help you.
Free
Free Stuff: All Prosper Freebies
Podcast: Podcast Shows
Masterclass: Liftoff Course
Paid
Mini-Course: Accelerator Program
Certification: Nutrition Coaching Certification
Jennifer Broxterman, MSc, RD
REGISTERED DIETITIAN & SPORTS NUTRITIONIST
• Award-winning Foods & Nutrition University Professor
• Successful entrepreneur of owner of NutritionRx
• 16 year CrossFit affiliate owner with my husband
• Founder of Prosper Nutrition Coaching & lead nutrition coach
