WEBVTT 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What keeps us healthy and happy ขา 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:20 - 0:21 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as we go through life? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:22 - 0:25 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If you were going to invest now 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:25 - 0:27 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in your future best self, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:27 - 0:31 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where would you put your time and your energy? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:32 - 0:34 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 There are lots of answers out there. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:34 - 0:38 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We're bombarded with images of what's most important in life. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:40 - 0:43 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The media are filled with stories of people who are rich 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:43 - 0:46 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and famous and building empires at work. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:47 - 0:49 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And we believe those stories. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:50 - 0:53 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 There was a recent survey of millennials 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:53 - 0:58 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 asking them what their most important life goals were, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 0:58 - 1:00 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and over 80 percent said 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:00 - 1:04 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that a major life goal for them was to get rich. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:06 - 1:10 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And another 50 percent of those same young adults 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:10 - 1:13 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 said that another major life goal 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:13 - 1:14 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 was to become famous. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:16 - 1:17 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:17 - 1:24 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And we're constantly told to lean in to work, to push harder 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:24 - 1:26 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and achieve more. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:26 - 1:30 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We're given the impression that these are the things that we need to go after 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:30 - 1:32 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in order to have a good life. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:32 - 1:34 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But is that true? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:34 - 1:38 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Is that really what keeps people happy as they go through life? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:40 - 1:42 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Pictures of entire lives, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:42 - 1:47 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of the choices that people make and how those choices work out for them, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:47 - 1:50 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 those pictures are almost impossible to get. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:52 - 1:55 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Most of what we know about human life 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:55 - 1:58 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we know from asking people to remember the past, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 1:59 - 2:03 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and as we know, hindsight is anything but 20/20. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:03 - 2:07 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We forget vast amounts of what happens to us in life, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:07 - 2:10 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and sometimes memory is downright creative. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:11 - 2:12 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Mark Twain understood this. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:14 - 2:15 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 He's quoted as saying, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:16 - 2:20 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Some of the worst things in my life never happened." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:20 - 2:23 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:24 - 2:28 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And research shows us that we actually remember the past more positively 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:28 - 2:30 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as we get older. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:30 - 2:33 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'm reminded of a bumper sticker that says, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:33 - 2:36 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "It's never too late to have a happy childhood." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:36 - 2:39 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:40 - 2:44 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But what if we could watch entire lives 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:44 - 2:47 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as they unfold through time? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:47 - 2:51 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What if we could study people from the time that they were teenagers 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:51 - 2:54 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 all the way into old age 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:54 - 2:57 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to see what really keeps people happy and healthy? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 2:58 - 2:59 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We did that. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:00 - 3:03 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Harvard Study of Adult Development 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:03 - 3:07 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 may be the longest study of adult life that's ever been done. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:08 - 3:14 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 For 75 years, we've tracked the lives of 724 men, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:16 - 3:21 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 year after year, asking about their work, their home lives, their health, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:21 - 3:25 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and of course asking all along the way without knowing how their life stories 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:25 - 3:27 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 were going to turn out. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:28 - 3:32 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Studies like this are exceedingly rare. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:32 - 3:36 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Almost all projects of this kind fall apart within a decade 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:36 - 3:39 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because too many people drop out of the study, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:39 - 3:42 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or funding for the research dries up, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:42 - 3:44 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or the researchers get distracted, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:44 - 3:48 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or they die, and nobody moves the ball further down the field. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:49 - 3:51 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But through a combination of luck 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:51 - 3:55 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and the persistence of several generations of researchers, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:55 - 3:57 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 this study has survived. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 3:57 - 4:02 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 About 60 of our original 724 men 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:02 - 4:03 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are still alive, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:03 - 4:05 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 still participating in the study, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:05 - 4:07 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 most of them in their 90s. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:08 - 4:10 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And we are now beginning to study 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:10 - 4:14 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the more than 2,000 children of these men. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:14 - 4:17 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And I'm the fourth director of the study. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:18 - 4:23 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Since 1938, we've tracked the lives of two groups of men. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:23 - 4:25 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The first group started in the study 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:25 - 4:28 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when they were sophomores at Harvard College. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:28 - 4:31 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The were from what Tom Brokaw has called "the greatest generation". 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:32 - 4:35 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They all finished college during World War II, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:35 - 4:37 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and then most went off to serve in the war. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:38 - 4:40 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And the second group that we've followed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:40 - 4:44 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 was a group of boys from Boston's poorest neighborhoods, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:44 - 4:46 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 boys who were chosen for the study 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:46 - 4:50 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 specifically because they were from some of the most troubled 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:50 - 4:52 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and disadvantaged families 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:52 - 4:54 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in the Boston of the 1930s. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 4:54 - 4:59 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Most lived in tenements, many without hot and cold running water. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:01 - 5:03 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When they entered the study, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:03 - 5:06 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 all of these teenagers were interviewed. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:06 - 5:08 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They were given medical exams. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:08 - 5:12 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We went to their homes and we interviewed their parents. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:12 - 5:14 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And then these teenagers grew up into adults 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:14 - 5:17 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who entered all walks of life. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:17 - 5:23 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They became factory workers and lawyers and bricklayers and doctors, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:23 - 5:25 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 one President of the United States. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:27 - 5:31 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Some developed alcoholism. A few developed schizophrenia. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:32 - 5:34 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Some climbed the social ladder 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:34 - 5:38 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from the bottom all the way to the very top, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:38 - 5:41 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and some made that journey in the opposite direction. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:42 - 5:45 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The founders of this study 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:45 - 5:47 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 would never in their wildest dreams 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:47 - 5:52 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 have imagined that I would be standing here today, 75 years later, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:52 - 5:55 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 telling you that the study still continues. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 5:56 - 6:00 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Every two years, our patient and dedicated research staff 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:00 - 6:03 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 calls up our men and asks them if we can send them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:03 - 6:06 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 yet one more set of questions about their lives. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:07 - 6:10 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Many of the inner city Boston men ask us, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:10 - 6:14 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Why do you keep wanting to study me? My life just isn't that interesting." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:15 - 6:18 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Harvard men never ask that question. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:18 - 6:23 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:28 - 6:30 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 To get the clearest picture of these lives, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:31 - 6:33 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we don't just send them questionnaires. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:33 - 6:36 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We interview them in their living rooms. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:37 - 6:40 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We get their medical records from their doctors. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:40 - 6:42 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We draw their blood, we scan their brains, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:42 - 6:44 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we talk to their children. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:44 - 6:49 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We videotape them talking with their wives about their deepest concerns. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:49 - 6:53 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And when, about a decade ago, we finally asked the wives 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:53 - 6:55 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 if they would join us as members of the study, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:55 - 6:58 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 many of the women said, "You know, it's about time." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 6:58 - 6:59 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:01 - 7:02 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So what have we learned? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:02 - 7:08 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What are the lessons that come from the tens of thousands of pages 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:08 - 7:11 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of information that we've generated 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:11 - 7:12 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on these lives? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:13 - 7:18 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Well, the lessons aren't about wealth or fame or working harder and harder. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:20 - 7:26 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:26 - 7:31 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:32 - 7:36 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We've learned three big lessons about relationships. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:36 - 7:40 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The first is that social connections are really good for us, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:40 - 7:43 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and that loneliness kills. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:43 - 7:47 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It turns out that people who are more socially connected 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:47 - 7:50 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to family, to friends, to community, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:50 - 7:55 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are happier, they're physically healthier, and they live longer 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:55 - 7:58 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 than people who are less well connected. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 7:58 - 8:02 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And the experience of loneliness turns out to be toxic. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:02 - 8:07 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 People who are more isolated than they want to be from others 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:07 - 8:10 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 find that they are less happy, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:10 - 8:13 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 their health declines earlier in midlife, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:13 - 8:15 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 their brain functioning declines sooner 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:15 - 8:19 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and they live shorter lives than people who are not lonely. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:20 - 8:23 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And the sad fact is that at any given time, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:23 - 8:28 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 more than one in five Americans will report that they're lonely. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:29 - 8:31 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And we know that you can be lonely in a crowd 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:31 - 8:34 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and you can be lonely in a marriage, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:34 - 8:36 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 so the second big lesson that we learned 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:36 - 8:39 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is that it's not just the number of friends you have, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:39 - 8:43 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and it's not whether or not you're in a committed relationship, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:43 - 8:48 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but it's the quality of your close relationships that matters. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:48 - 8:53 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It turns out that living in the midst of conflict is really bad for our health. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:53 - 8:57 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 High-conflict marriages, for example, without much affection, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 8:58 - 9:04 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 turn out to be very bad for our health, perhaps worse than getting divorced. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:04 - 9:09 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And living in the midst of good, warm relationships is protective. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:09 - 9:12 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Once we had followed our men all the way into their 80s, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:12 - 9:15 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we wanted to look back at them at midlife 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:16 - 9:17 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and to see if we could predict 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:17 - 9:21 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who was going to grow into a happy, healthy octogenarian 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:21 - 9:23 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and who wasn't. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:23 - 9:27 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And when we gathered together everything we knew about them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:28 - 9:29 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 at age 50, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:30 - 9:32 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it wasn't their middle age cholesterol levels 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:32 - 9:35 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that predicted how they were going to grow old. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:35 - 9:39 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It was how satisfied they were in their relationships. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:39 - 9:44 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:44 - 9:46 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 were the healthiest at age 80. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:47 - 9:50 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And good, close relationships seem to buffer us 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:50 - 9:53 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from some of the slings and arrows of getting old. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:54 - 9:58 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Our most happily partnered men and women 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 9:58 - 10:00 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 reported, in their 80s, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:00 - 10:03 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that on the days when they had more physical pain, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:03 - 10:05 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 their mood stayed just as happy. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:06 - 10:09 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But the people who were in unhappy relationships, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:09 - 10:12 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on the days when they reported more physical pain, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:12 - 10:15 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it was magnified by more emotional pain. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:17 - 10:22 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And the third big lesson that we learned about relationships and our health 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:22 - 10:25 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is that good relationships don't just protect our bodies, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:25 - 10:27 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they protect our brains. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:28 - 10:32 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It turns out that being in a securely attached relationship 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:32 - 10:36 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to another person in your 80s is protective, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:36 - 10:38 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that the people who are in relationships 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:38 - 10:42 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where they really feel they can count on the other person in times of need, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:42 - 10:46 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 those people's memories stay sharper longer. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:46 - 10:48 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And the people in relationships 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:48 - 10:51 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where they feel they really can't count on the other one, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:51 - 10:55 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 those are the people who experience earlier memory decline. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:56 - 10:59 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And those good relationships, they don't have to be smooth all the time. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 10:59 - 11:03 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Some of our octogenarian couples could bicker with each other 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:03 - 11:04 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 day in and day out, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:04 - 11:08 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but as long as they felt that they could really count on the other 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:08 - 11:09 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when the going got tough, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:10 - 11:13 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 those arguments didn't take a toll on their memories. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:15 - 11:17 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So this message, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:17 - 11:23 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that good, close relationships are good for our health and well-being, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:23 - 11:26 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 this is wisdom that's as old as the hills. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:26 - 11:29 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's your grandmother's advice, and your pastor's. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:30 - 11:32 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Why is this so hard to get? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:33 - 11:35 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 For example, with respect to wealth, we know 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:35 - 11:38 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that once your basic material needs are met, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:39 - 11:40 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 wealth doesn't do it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:40 - 11:44 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If you go from making 75,000 dollars a year 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:44 - 11:45 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to 75 million, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:46 - 11:50 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we know that your health and happiness will change very little, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:50 - 11:51 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 if at all. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:52 - 11:53 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When it comes to fame, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:54 - 11:56 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the constant media intrusion 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:57 - 11:58 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and the lack of privacy 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 11:58 - 12:01 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 make most famous people significantly less healthy. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:02 - 12:05 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It certainly doesn't keep them happier. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:06 - 12:09 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And as for working harder and harder, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:09 - 12:12 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 there is that truism that nobody on their death bed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:12 - 12:15 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 ever wished they had spent more time at the office. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:15 - 12:16 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:17 - 12:21 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Why is this so hard to get and so easy to ignore? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:21 - 12:23 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Well, we're human. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:23 - 12:26 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What we'd really like is a quick fix, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:26 - 12:27 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 something we can get 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:27 - 12:30 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that'll make our lives good and keep them that way. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:31 - 12:34 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Relationships are messy and they're complicated 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:34 - 12:38 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and the hard work of tending to family and friends, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:38 - 12:41 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it's not sexy or glamorous. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:41 - 12:44 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's also lifelong. It never ends. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:44 - 12:49 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The people in our 75-year study who were the happiest in retirement 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 12:50 - 12:56 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 were the people who had actively worked to replace workmates with new playmates. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:00 - 13:03 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Just like the millennials in that recent survey, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:03 - 13:07 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 many of our men when they were starting out as young adults 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:07 - 13:11 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 really believed that fame and wealth and high achievement 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:11 - 13:15 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 were what they needed to go after to have a good life. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:15 - 13:20 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But over and over, over these 75 years, our study has shown 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:20 - 13:25 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that the people who fared the best were the people who leaned in to relationships, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:25 - 13:29 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with family, with friends, with community. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:30 - 13:32 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So what about you? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:32 - 13:36 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Let's say you're 25, or you're 40, or you're 60. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:37 - 13:40 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What might leaning in to relationships even look like? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:41 - 13:44 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Well, the possibilities are practically endless. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:45 - 13:51 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It might be something as simple as replacing screen time with people time 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:51 - 13:55 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or livening up a stale relationship by doing something new together, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:56 - 13:58 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 long walks or date nights, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 13:59 - 14:04 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or reaching out to that family member who you haven't spoken to in years, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:04 - 14:07 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because those all-too-common family feuds 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:07 - 14:09 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 take a terrible toll 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:09 - 14:11 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on the people who hold the grudges. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:13 - 14:17 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'd like to close with another quote from Mark Twain. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:19 - 14:21 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 More than a century ago, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:21 - 14:24 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 he was looking back on his life, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:24 - 14:25 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and he wrote this: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:26 - 14:30 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "There isn't time, so brief is life, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:30 - 14:35 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for bickerings, apologies, heartburnings, callings to account. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:36 - 14:39 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 There is only time for loving, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:39 - 14:43 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and but an instant, so to speak, for that." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:44 - 14:49 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The good life is built with good relationships. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:49 - 14:51 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And that's an idea worth spreading. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:51 - 14:52 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Thank you. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 14:52 - 14:58 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Applause)