In the late 1930s, researchers at Harvard University conceived of a project to understand happiness and personal success. In one of the longest running studies of all time, they began following the lives of 268 men who entered Harvard in the late 1930s up to the present day (most of them having passed-on by now), in order to understand what distinguishes the happiest from the least happy men. In 2009, George Vaillant, who has directed the study for the last 40 years, wrote an article in the Atlantic Monthly summarizing the conclusion of the study in one word: “love.” He went on to say that our relationships with other people matter more to our happiness than anything else in the world. [Read more...]
