This episode is also available on the Access Ideas podcast.

What makes for a happy life, a fulfilling life? A good life? The authors of The Good Life promise the answer may be closer than you realize!

Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz are the director and associate director of The Grant Study, also known as the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies ever done, beginning in 1938 and continuing up to the present. The study initially followed the lives of two groups of men: one group of socially disadvantaged men (inner-city Boston boys from working-class families), and another group of privileged men (graduates of Harvard College). The study aimed to understand the factors that contribute to a successful and fulfilling life, and eventually expanded to include the spouses and children of these men.

My hope is that by amplifying the findings of this extraordinary study, we can reframe popular ideas about happiness, health, and success! And if you’re not quite ready to commit to listening to this 11 hour audiobook, consider listening to these two recent interviews:

Ten Percent Happier #549. Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness | Dr. Robert Waldinger

Making Sense with Sam Harris episode #308 The Long Game (with Robert Waldinger)

Goodreads review of The Good Life

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Audio production by The Podcast Distillery Co.

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions