Robert Waldinger's Ted
Talk, "What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on
happiness," spoke to me. In 1938, The Harvard Study of
Adult Development is considered to be longest study of 724 men that researched
the physical mental and emotional factors that determine happiness. The study
began with 2 groups of male participants. One group considered educated who
were in their sophomore year at Harvard University. The other group of men who
were considered impoverished from the poorest side of Boston. All of the 724
men were examined physically, mentally and emotionally and records of their
life’s both good and bad were updated every 2 years. Of course, the
research provided physical details of the individuals health, but the most
important research the study determined was what makes an individual happy. To
date only about 60 of the original participates are still alive and over 2,000
of their children. The study considered the scientific evidence,
which point to the facts; people who are surrounded by loving environments live
longer and happier lives. They also found that loneliness and isolation is
detrimental to an individual’s life. Not just a relationship but it is the
quality of relationships that determine how our brains develop. Research also
found that healthy relationships gives us relief from the aches and pains we
may develop as we age. Relationships don’t come easy; they require work to
achieve the level of satisfaction that we desire. Research is very important
both scientific and environmental. When researches begin their studies,
usually, it is to explore the “unknown”. This Ted Talk moved
me after joining All of US research group 8 months ago. I was approached while in the
hospital after delivering my youngest son. All of US is a
research study created to help find curse for many different diseases and
disorders. After losing my mother to pancreatic cancer 12 years ago, I felt it
is my duty to do what I can to help find cures. Their mission is to
"accelerate health research along with medical breakthroughs, enabling
individualized prevention, treatment and care for all of us."
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