One midlife habit linked to better health at 80

Image credit: marcalex via Unsplash

Happy people live longer and they’re more likely to stay healthy during those extra years. One of the biggest insights from the ongoing Harvard Adult Development Study, the world’s longest-running study of adult health and happiness, is that strong social connections are key. People who maintained close relationships at age 50 were found to be the healthiest at 80, highlighting how meaningful bonds, more than wealth or status, shape both longevity and well-being.

Source

Waldinger RJ, Schulz MS. What's love got to do with it? Social functioning, perceived health, and daily happiness in married octogenarians. Psychol Aging. 2010 Jun;25(2):422-31. doi: 10.1037/a0019087. PMID: 20545426; PMCID: PMC2896234.

Additional Reading

https://www.thehealthy.com/mental-health/happiness/how-to-be-happy-the-good-life-dr-waldinger/

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/

https://www.bbc.com/storyworks/wellings-live-well/the-answer-to-lifes-great-question

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