Nothing sells more these days than the hope and promise of happiness. We are desperate for happiness because apparently we’re not finding it enough. We look for it in our money, possessions, entertainment and experiences. Now I bring you, literally the world’s longest study on…happiness. And the solution to our need is not surprising. The root of our happiness is…relationships. That’s it. After 80 years of studying generations of people, what gives us the most happiness is relationships. Which is a simple answer, but not an easy one. Many of our relationships bring us more trauma, and stress, and sadness than happiness. So what’s the real story? My guest is Robert Waldinger, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School who is director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development at Massachusetts General Hospital which conducted this study. If you aren’t aware of Bob, you may have come across his TED talk, titled, “What makes a good life?” which has over over 43 million views. Bob is also cofounder of the Lifespan Research Foundation. He received his AB from Harvard College and his MD from Harvard Medical School and is a practicing psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, and he directs a psychotherapy teaching program for Harvard psychiatry residents. Bob is also a Zen master (Roshi) and teaches meditation in New England and around the world. From this study, Robert has now co-authored the book, The Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study on Happiness, which is being released the day after this episode goes live. Find The Good Life wherever you get your books, and you’re about to hear us discuss the highlights on what provides happiness that were most profound to me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices