The psychiatrist Robert Waldinger posed this question on NPR nearly 10 years ago.

If you could give one magic pill that would improve physical health, improve mood, reduce

weight, what would that magic drug be?

His answer wasn't all that surprising.

Exercise.

Okay, so we all know exercise is good for us.

But what makes Waldinger's advice particularly noteworthy is that it comes from a study

Harvard has been conducting since the 1930s, decades and decades of observing how people

live and what leads to a healthy and fulfilling life.

Another piece of advice he gave at the time?

Try meditating.

Because what you do is you watch your mind spin out and eventually it settles down and

eventually you begin to have more perspective that it really doesn't matter if you arrive

a little bit late for that dinner party.

Waldinger also encouraged men to consider seeking a therapist to help manage their stress.

And he had some thoughts on late night drinking.

It feels in the moment like having that extra drink at night eliminates stress because

it relaxes you but it turns out that it disturbs sleep.

Well, that's all helpful guidance.

But none of that stacks up to what Waldinger's research has shown is the number one secret

to living a happy life.

He came back to tell me about it.

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