Maybe America isn't bowling alone, and that's good for your health and longevity.

I'm Scott Ott with Bill Whittle and Stephen Green in this episode of Right Angles brought to you by the members at Bill Whittle.com.

Gentlemen, I read a couple of stories in the last day or so that really kind of upset the apple cart and gave me hope for the future, not only for our country, but for my own

self. Being well advanced in my dotage, I think that this could be good news for anybody like me

who is descending into geezerhood or ascending into geyserhood, however you choose to do it.

Remember in 1995 when Robert Putnam came out with the book Bowling Alone?

And the general thesis of the book, I read it back then, but the general thesis of the book was

that Americans are not joiners like they used to be. And so society is becoming somewhat

fragmented and groups like, you know, the Rotary Club and the Lions

clubs and Knights of Columbus and things like that were kind of having a hard time recruiting.

And that certainly is a pattern that has continued.

However, there's some research that shows that in some areas, that's not what's happening,

and that we need to really start advancing in those areas if we want to live longer and be

healthier.

And here's what I mean.

A Harvard study on adult development that was started in 1938 and continues to this day they're tracking people's

health and happiness. And what they found, the common denominator for longevity and for health

and happiness is not like cholesterol levels or anything that you might expect like that.

Basically, it comes down to the quality of your relationships and your sense of purpose.

And that people who have many good relationships with other people and who have a sense of purpose in their lives tend to live

longer, healthier lives, and feel happier about it.

And this gets back to, you know, Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankel.

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