Dr. Robert Waldinger on the Science of Happiness and What Makes a Good Life

Episode Highlights With Dr. Waldinger

• How he became a zen master who teaches meditation around the world
• The science of meditation and the science of why it is beneficial
• What the Harvard study of adult development is- the longest study on the same group of people since 1938
• Key takeaways from this extremely long study
• The surprising key to happiness and why human connection and relationships are so important
• Helpful questions for checking in on your own relationships
• How childhood experiences shape mental health later in life and what children really need to feel safe and secure in life
• What the data says about things that extend lifespan and things that shorten it
• How human connection correlates to a longer lifespan
• Strong relationships are natural stress reducers - the science of how this works
• Why happiness is not something we can “achieve” past our basic human needs
• How to build a safety net of well-being to help increase happiness and calm even in tough times
• Ways to use our feelings as signals but exercise choice in how we act and respond
• How to increase “social fitness” and nurture relationships in your life
• A rule of thumb when it comes to relationships
• Why kids need to see us model prioritizing relationships and taking care of ourselves
• What empathetic accuracy is and how to get better at it
• The W.I.S.E.R method for handling emotionally challenging situations
• The best investment you can make in your own well-being (it might surprise you)
• Health and lifestyle trends that stood out from the data in this study

Resources We Mention

• Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | TED Talk
• The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger, MD
• Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

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"If the path before you is clear, you're probably on somebody else's path." - Joseph Campbell