“Good genes are nice, but joy is better” is a summary thought of an ongoing 75-year-old Harvard longitudinal study that followed the lives of 268 Harvard educated men, the majority of whom were members of the undergraduate classes of 1942, 1943, and 1944. This informative survey has run in tandem with The Glueck Study," which included a second cohort of 456 disadvantaged, non-delinquent inner-city youths who grew up in Boston neighborhoods between 1940 and 1945.
A major conclusion from both studies is the powerful influence relationships have on our health. “Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too, that is revelation,” states the current director of the study, psychiatrist Dr. Waldinger. In other words, money and fame are less important than close relationships throughout one’s life. Because associations delay mental and physical decline, they are better predictors of long and healthy lives than social class, IQ, or genes.
The researchers connected with the participants every two years either in person or by survey. Medical records, along with other objective and subjective data, were collected at about age 50. Retrospectively, the healthiest people at age 80 were most satisfied with their relationships at age 50.
A good marriage has a strong protective effect on people’s mental health; these study participants in their 80s reported that their moods were better even when they had more physical pain. People in unhappy marriages felt more emotional and physical pain. Warm relationships at any time during one’s life have a protective effect. Loneliness not only kills but also has a similar mortality as smoking and alcoholism.
A more recent study by the same researchers found that women who felt securely attached to their partners were less depressed and had better intellectual functioning, while those less happy in their relationships had frequent mental conflicts. The protective benefits of relationships positively affect both mental and physical health.
Interestingly, the study’s focus evolved over the decades. In the 1940s and 1950s, the researchers thought anthropomorphic measurements of skulls, brow bridges, and other physical attributes mattered most for longevity. Handwriting was even analyzed. Currently, DNA testing and MRI scans are employed. Nevertheless, empathy and attachment seem to matter more than physical characteristics.
The study is on-going with six current most important factors identified:
The bottom line: Take care of both your body and your relationships as though you are going to live 100 years.