So much of what we know about happiness and the impact of social isolation and loneliness on health and well-being come from Robert Waldinger, MD and his his research stemming from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, a project that was initiated in 1938 during the Great Depression. At that time, 268 sophomore men from Harvard were recruited into a longitudinal study with the goal of finding out what contributes to health and fulfillment. Over the years, Dr. Waldinger, the director of the program, and his colleagues have expanded to include a more diverse and larger cohort of men and women.
In an interview for Forbes magazine and the Anxiety at Work podcast, Dr. Waldinger discusses his research and outlines the foundational elements leading to happiness and a good, long life.
Robert Waldinger, MD is the Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development,Director of the Center for Psychodynamic Therapy and Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Waldinger’s research has focused on the longest running study of health and human development. His group is now beginning a study of the more than 2000 children of the men in the original Harvard cohort to examine how childhood experiences affect midlife health and wellbeing.
