Happiness is something that is difficult to study, it’s an elusive feeling that can be hard to put into words. Most see it as something emotional, but science is slowly creeping in. In fact, these 4 lessons about happiness are from the longest run scientific study ever. The study followed the lives of 724 men for 78 years. They surveyed the group every two years about their physical and mental health. They also asked about their professional lives, their friendships, and their marriages. Periodic in-person interviews, medical exams, blood tests, and brain scans were also involved.
From this study there are 4 lessons about happiness.
1. A Happy Childhood has Long Lasting Effects
Having a good relationship with your parents in your childhood is a sign that you will have closer relationships to those around you when you are older. Happy childhoods were able to predict better relationships between spouses well into their 80s. It also encourages better physical health throughout life.
Being close to at least one sibling predicted being less likely to be depressed by age 50.
2. This Doesn’t Mean All is Lost for Those Who had Tough Childhoods
People who had tough childhoods do grow up less happy then those with good childhoods, but by the time they reach middle age they can make up for what they missed. They do this by engaging in what is called “generativity,” or an interest in establishing and guiding the next generation.
Those that did this were happier and better adjusted than those who didn’t. This does not mean you have to be a parent either, you can mentor younger people too.
3. Learning How to Deal with Stress has a Lifelong Payoff
The study found that subjects who dealt with stress through coping mechanisms had better relationships with others. This also made others want to support the participants when they were going through a tough time.
The coping mechanisms include sublimation, where if you are being treated poorly at work, you create a group that protects worker’s rights. There’s altruism, helping others when you are feeling down yourself.
Finally, there is suppression, meaning that if you can’t fix your worries right away, you put them aside until you can.
4. Time with Others Helps Us Deal with Life’s Ups and Downs
The study found that both quantity and quality of relationships matter. When participants looked back on their lives they reported that spending time with others was the most meaningful. It made them happier on a day to day basis and especially spending time with spouses helped with the mood changes that come with age.
While the study is incredible for its length and depth, it only followed a very narrow field of people. The group was only white males. The researchers are now going to follow the participants’ 13,000 children, which half are female.
Read more here.