Healthy Relationships

Liz Mineo authored an article titled, “Genes are Nice, but Joy is Better,” which appeared in The Harvard Gazette. The article discusses the findings of a study which began tracking the health of 268 Harvard sophomores in 1938 is still on-going today. The subjects were all men as Harvard was an all-male university at the time. According to Robert Waldinger, the current director of the study, ‘“The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful impact on our health…. Taking care of your body is important but taking care of your relationships is a form of self-care too.”’ The article went on to say, “Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives, the study revealed. Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes.” As George Vaillant, who directed the study from 1972 to 2004 put it, “…the key to healthy aging is relationships, relationships, relationships.”

If you would like to read Ms. Mineo’s entire article, here’s the link.