CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In 1938, scientists began to track the health of Harvard students to see if the data would reveal clues to leading a happy, healthy and long life.
The study spanned 85 years and scientist were able to collect a "cornucopia of data on their physical and mental health."
Participants’ health trajectories and lives, like triumphs and failures in careers and marriage, were tracked for decades. What they found surprised them.
“The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health,” said Robert Waldinger, director of the study, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too. That, I think, is the revelation.”
Dr. Salim Surani said cultivating good relationships can lead to benefits in all areas of your life.
"People who have good relationships, their health was better, they were more happy, they're mental health was better, their longevity was better," Surani said. "If you argue, that doesn't mean you have a bad relationship as long as you can trust each other."
Researchers are now in their "second generation study," which is following the original participants' children to see how childhood experiences affects midlife health.
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