EFR 678: How Loneliness Makes You Sick, How to Live a Meaningful Life, and Lessons From the World's Longest Study of Happiness with Dr. Marc Schulz

Dr. Marc Schulz shares the secret to success and happiness and key takeaways from the world’s longest study on happiness, which you can use to cultivate more meaningful relationships and live a more satisfying life. He explains what helps people thrive in life and how your lived experience can impact your mood and quality of life, and even those of your children.

What makes life a “good life"? According to the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study of happiness ever conducted (currently over 80 years), the answer to this question may be closer than you realize.

Dr. Marc Schulz, PhD is a Professor of Psychology, Director of Data Science, and Associate Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. Along with Robert Waldinger, Marc co-authored “The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Study of Happiness”. 

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Key Highlights

• Relationships are what keeps us flourishing in our lives because they nourish us in critical ways. As we’re coming out of the pandemic, we’re all figuring out how to re-establish our connections and make meaning in those connections. That why it’s the perfect time to focus on your relationships. 
• What is social fitness and why is it important? Listen in to learn how to improve your social fitness by practicing attunement and being present with others. 
• Marc details the cost of feeling lonely, highlighting the research-backed health risks of loneliness.
• Attention is the most valuable thing that you can possess.
• Talking to strangers might be your worst nightmare or not feel worth it to you, but one study shows that talking to strangers can actually make you happier!
• Marc breaks down some key takeaways and lessons from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, highlighting the connection between health, intention, and well-functioning relationships.
• Can a high quality of life be passed down to our children through epigenetics? 
• Mutual vulnerability is a source of strength. “If you tune into people when they’re challenged, when they’re experiencing those negative emotions, you’re going to learn something that’s pretty important to them,” Marc says. This is a plead to you to lean into your loved ones when they’re going through difficult emotions.

Episode resources:

• Get The Good Life book
• Get The Good Life for free on audiobook with your 30-day Audible trial at https://www.AudibleTrial.com/everforward 
• Save 20% on The Good multi-function face serum with code EVERFORWARD at https://www.CalderaLab.com/everforward 
• Save 20% on the For Today at-home male fertility test kit with code EVERFORWARD at https://testlegacy.com/everforward
• Watch and subscribe on YouTube https://youtu.be/zq5ij1nY_eI