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cover of episode The Secret to Happiness with Harvard professor Robert Waldinger

The Secret to Happiness with Harvard professor Robert Waldinger

2024/12/3
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A Bit of Optimism
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Robert Waldinger：长期的幸福感并非源于财富或名利，而是源于更深层次的东西，例如为世界做出贡献，关心他人，以及拥有积极的人际关系。哈佛成人发展研究追踪了724名青少年的一生，结果表明，那些在年轻时就渴望为比自己更大的目标做出贡献的人，往往在生活中更积极参与，并拥有更高的幸福感。埃里克森的成熟感对停滞感理论也支持了这一观点，渴望为他人和社会做出贡献的人，在回顾人生时会感到更少的后悔和更多的满足感。 在现代社会，人们更容易感到孤独和缺乏归属感，这与工作和社会联系的不稳定性有关。数字革命加剧了这一趋势，人们往往会抓住任何能提供归属感的东西，但这种归属感通常是短暂的。为了建立真正的社区联系，我们需要主动创造机会，例如举办沙龙式的聚会，邀请不同背景的朋友，促进人际交流。 研究还表明，照顾好身体健康，保持积极的社会交往对长寿至关重要。那些注重身体健康，积极参与社会活动的人，平均寿命更长，也更健康。而那些酗酒、肥胖，并且社会交往较少的人，寿命则相对较短。 在选择职业或人生方向时，我们应该考虑整体情况，而非仅仅关注某一方面。要考虑工作的整体回报，包括工作本身带来的乐趣以及工作成果带来的满足感。例如，养育孩子虽然辛苦，但孩子带来的快乐和成就感能抵消一切辛苦。 金钱和名利对幸福的影响有限，超过一定程度后，财富对幸福的提升作用有限，甚至可能降低幸福感。名利是一把双刃剑，虽然能带来一些好处，但也可能带来隐私的损失和其他的负面影响。 为了获得幸福，我们需要积极与人交往，并参与自己关心的事情，理想情况下，应该与自己关心的人一起参与自己关心的事情。 主持人：本期节目探讨了哈佛大学一项长期研究的成果，该研究揭示了持久幸福的秘诀并非财富或名利，而是更深层次的意义和积极的人际关系。研究强调了在年轻时就树立远大理想，为比自己更大的目标而奋斗的重要性。即使过程会改变想法，只要能保持积极的心态，并持续为目标努力，就能获得幸福。满足基本需求对幸福很重要，但超过一定程度后，财富对幸福的提升作用有限。现代社会，人们更容易感到孤独和缺乏归属感，因此我们需要主动创造机会，与他人建立更深层次的联系，并参与自己关心的事情。

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Chapters
The discussion delves into the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has tracked 724 individuals since 1938 to understand what leads to a happy life.
  • The study reveals that lasting happiness is not about wealth or fame but about deeper connections.
  • Robert Waldinger, the current director of the study, shares insights from the data.

Shownotes Transcript

We all want to live a happy life, but what does research say about how to actually achieve it? 

For more than 86 years, researchers at Harvard University have been trying to answer that question.  In one of the longest-running and most comprehensive studies of human happiness, Harvard tracked 724 teenagers through every stage of their adult lives since 1938. Some of them are still alive today and the findings are clear: lasting happiness isn’t about wealth or fame—it’s about something much deeper.

Robert Waldinger, a professor and psychiatrist, has directed the study for over 20 years. His TED Talk about it went viral with nearly 50 million views, and in 2023, he wrote a book about it - *The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.*I asked Robert to share what the study has revealed about happiness over the decades, how its insights have shaped his own life, and the one essential ingredient for a joyful, meaningful existence.

This…is A Bit of Optimism.

To learn more about Robert and his work, check out:

The Harvard Study of Adult Development)

robertwaldinger.com)