Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | TED

Summary

このスクリプトは、人生を通じて私たちを健康で幸せに保つことに関連する研究を紹介しています。特に、75年間続けられたハーバード大学の成人発達研究から得られた教訓を説明しています。その結論は、孤独が有害であり、社会的なつながりが私たちの健康と幸せに重要であるということです。また、関係の質が重要であり、親密な関係は私たちの心と体を守ってくれることが示されています。最後に、马克・トウェインの引用で締めくくられます。

Takeaways

• 📈 人生での幸せと健康を保つために、最も重要なことは良い人間関係を築くことです。
• 👥 社会的なつながりは私たちにとって非常に有益であり、孤独は有害です。
• 💔 孤独感は不幸や健康の衰退につながり、避けるべきです。
• 💞 親密な関係の品質は、幸福や健康に大きな影響を与えます。
• 👵👴 高齢者の幸福と健康は、50歳時の人間関係の満足度によって予測されます。
• 🛑 ストレスの多い結婚は健康に悪影響を及ぼすことがあり、良好な関係は私たちを守ります。
• 🧠 80歳で安全な関係にいる人々は、記憶力がより長く続くことがわかっています。
• 👫 親密なカップルは、困難な日でも相手に頼り合うことができ、記憶力に悪影響を与えません。
• 🎯 人生の目標は、财富や名声ではなく、家族、友人、コミュニティとの関係に力を入れるべきです。
• 📖 人生の幸せは、簡単な解決策ではなく、一生を通じて努力して築かなければならない関係に基づいています。
• 🌟 人生での良い関係は、私たちの健康や幸福に不可欠な基盤となります。

Q & A

ハーバード大学の研究はどの年から始まり、どの期間追跡しましたか？

ハーバード大学の研究は1938年から始まり、75年間追跡されました。

研究に参加した男性の数はいくつでしたか？

研究に参加した男性の数は724人でした。

研究の対象となっていた2つのグループは何ですか？

研究の対象となっていた2つのグループは、ハーバード大学の2年生と、ボストンの最も貧困で苦境に陥った地域からの少年たちです。

研究において、どのようなことを評価するために家庭訪問を行いましたか？

研究において、家族とのつながり、友人や地域社会との関係、健康状態などを評価するために家庭訪問を行いました。

研究の結果、どのような3つの大きなレッスンが得られましたか？

研究の結果、社交的なつながりが重要で孤独は有害であること、親密な関係の品質が重要であること、良い関係が私たちの身体だけでなく脳も守ることを学びました。

研究によると、良い関係がもたらす最も大きな利点は何ですか？

研究によると、良い関係がもたらす最も大きな利点は、私たちが幸せで健康な生活を送ることができることです。

研究で使用されたデータの量はどのくらいでしたか？

研究で使用されたデータの量は数万ページに及びました。

どのような種類の情報を収集し、分析しましたか？

回答、医療記録、血液検査、脳のスキャン、子供との会話、配偶者との深い話題の録画など、多岐にわたる情報を収集し分析しました。

研究が示す「良い関係」の定義は何ですか？

研究が示す「良い関係」とは、信頼できる、助け合わない、暖かい関係を指します。

どのような年齢から、どのような期間、追跡されましたか？

研究はteenagersから始まり、彼らが成人し、様々な職業を経験し、最高齢であっても追跡されました。

研究の結果、幸せで健康的な老い方についての何がわかりましたか？

研究の結果、幸せで健康的な老い方についての鍵は、家族、友人、地域社会との良い関係にあることがわかりました。

Outlines

00:00

🔍ハーバード大学の成人発達研究

この段落では、人生を通じて健康と幸福を保つ要素についての問いと、ミレニアル世代が富と名声を重要な人生の目標とみなしている現象に触れています。その後、ハーバード大学の成人発達研究について紹介し、この75年以上にわたる研究が、どのようにして人生のあらゆる段階で人々を追跡し、人生を豊かにする本当の要素が何であるかを明らかにしようとしているかを説明します。研究の生き残りとその意義、そして研究に参加した人々の多様性についても触れられています。

05:00

💡幸せと健康をもたらす関係性

第二段落では、75年間の研究から得られた教訓に焦点を当てています。主なメッセージは、良好な人間関係が私たちをより幸せで健康に保つということです。社会的つながりの重要性、孤独の害、そして高品質な近しい関係がどのようにして私たちの健康に良い影響を与えるかについて詳述しています。また、良い人間関係が精神的、肉体的健康を保護し、記憶力を保つことにどのように役立つかも説明しています。

10:02

🌱関係性の大切さとその難しさ

最終段落は、良好な人間関係が私たちの健康と幸福にとってなぜ重要であるにもかかわらず、それを実現することが難しい理由を探ります。人間は即効性のある解決策を好む傾向があるため、関係を築くことの複雑さと継続的な努力を避けがちです。しかし、75年間の研究は、人生で最も満足している人々は人間関係に積極的に投資した人々であることを示しています。この段落は、関係を深める方法の提案と、良好な関係が人生にもたらす長期的な利益を強調して終わります。

Keywords

💡健康

「健康」とは、身体的な病気や障害がない状態を指します。このビデオでは、健康は幸福と長生きをもたらす重要な要素として強調されています。ビデオの研究では、社会的なつながりが豊富であるほど、人の健康状態が良好であることが示されています。

💡幸福

「幸福」とは、心の満足感や喜びを感じる感情の状態を指します。ビデオの主題は、人生のどの段階でも、良い人間関係が幸福と健康をもたらすという考え方です。

💡人間関係

「人間関係」とは、人間の個体間で形成される相互作用や結びつきを指します。このビデオでは、良い人間関係が健康と幸福に重要な役割を果たすことが強調されています。

💡孤独

「孤独」とは、社会的なつながりが希薄である状態を指します。ビデオでは、孤独は幸福と健康に対する悪影響を及ぼすことが匯示されています。

💡社会的なつながり

「社会的なつながり」とは、個人が家族、友人、地域社会との関係性を指します。ビデオの研究では、社会的なつながりが豊かな人が、幸福感を高め、健康状態も良好に保つことが示されています。

💡親密な関係

「親密な関係」とは、信頼性や密接性が深い関係を指します。ビデオでは、親密な関係の質が健康と幸福感に影響を与えることが強調されています。

💡研究

「研究」とは、ある問題や現象について、体系的に調査や分析を行うことを指します。このビデオでは、長期間にわたる研究が行われ、その結果から人生で重要なものを見出すことができました。

💡長期研究

「長期研究」とは、何年も続く研究プロジェクトを指します。ビデオで紹介されたハーバード大学の研究は、長期研究の一例であり、人生の様々な段階での情報収集を行います。

💡幸福の秘訣

「幸福の秘訣」とは、幸せな生活を送るための方法やアドバイスを指します。ビデオの研究結果から、幸福の秘訣は、社会的なつながりや親密な関係を大切にすることであることが示されています。

💡人生の選択

「人生の選択」とは、人生において取るべき決断や選択肢を指します。ビデオの研究では、人生の選択がどのようにして個人の幸福と健康に影響を与えるかが分析されています。

💡世代間のつながり

「世代間のつながり」とは、親と子、祖父母と孫などの血縁関係を超えた、異なる世代の人々とのつながりを指します。ビデオの研究では、世代間のつながりが幸福にどのように寄与するかが示されています。

💡生活の質

「生活の質」とは、個人が持っている生活の満足度や充実感を指します。ビデオの研究では、生活の質は、财富や名声ではなく、人間関係の質によって大きく影響されることが示されています。

Highlights

The importance of investing in your future best self is emphasized, questioning where to allocate time and energy.

A survey reveals that a majority of millennials prioritize getting rich and becoming famous as major life goals.

The misconception that wealth and fame are key to a good life is challenged by long-term research.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development is introduced as a groundbreaking 75-year study on happiness and health.

The study has tracked 724 men over 75 years, making it one of the longest studies of adult life.

The study includes two diverse groups: Harvard sophomores and boys from Boston's poorest neighborhoods.

The study's longevity is attributed to luck and the persistence of researchers.

The study has expanded to include the children of the original participants, now over 2,000.

The study's findings contradict the idea that wealth or hard work are the keys to happiness and health.

Good relationships are identified as the most significant factor in happiness and health.

Loneliness is found to be toxic, negatively impacting happiness, health, and lifespan.

The quality of close relationships, rather than quantity, is crucial for well-being.

High-conflict marriages are detrimental to health, potentially worse than divorce.

Satisfaction in relationships in midlife predicts happiness and health in old age.

Good relationships protect both physical and mental health, buffering against the challenges of aging.

Secure relationships in old age are linked to better memory retention.

The pursuit of good relationships is a lifelong commitment that requires effort.

The study's findings underscore the timeless wisdom that good relationships are the foundation of a good life.

Mark Twain's quote is shared, emphasizing the preciousness of time and the importance of love.

Transcripts

What keeps us healthy and happy

as we go through life?

If you were going to invest now

in your future best self,

where would you put your time and your energy?

There was a recent survey of millennials

asking them what their most important life goals were,

and over 80 percent said

that a major life goal for them was to get rich.

And another 50 percent of those same young adults

said that another major life goal

was to become famous.

(Laughter)

And we're constantly told to lean in to work, to push harder

and achieve more.

We're given the impression that these are the things that we need to go after

in order to have a good life.

Pictures of entire lives,

of the choices that people make and how those choices work out for them,

those pictures are almost impossible to get.

Most of what we know about human life

we know from asking people to remember the past,

and as we know, hindsight is anything but 20/20.

We forget vast amounts of what happens to us in life,

and sometimes memory is downright creative.

But what if we could watch entire lives

as they unfold through time?

What if we could study people from the time that they were teenagers

all the way into old age

to see what really keeps people happy and healthy?

We did that.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development

may be the longest study of adult life that's ever been done.

For 75 years, we've tracked the lives of 724 men,

year after year, asking about their work, their home lives, their health,

and of course asking all along the way without knowing how their life stories

were going to turn out.

Studies like this are exceedingly rare.

Almost all projects of this kind fall apart within a decade

because too many people drop out of the study,

or funding for the research dries up,

or the researchers get distracted,

or they die, and nobody moves the ball further down the field.

But through a combination of luck

and the persistence of several generations of researchers,

this study has survived.

About 60 of our original 724 men

are still alive,

still participating in the study,

most of them in their 90s.

And we are now beginning to study

the more than 2,000 children of these men.

And I'm the fourth director of the study.

Since 1938, we've tracked the lives of two groups of men.

The first group started in the study

when they were sophomores at Harvard College.

They all finished college during World War II,

and then most went off to serve in the war.

And the second group that we've followed

was a group of boys from Boston's poorest neighborhoods,

boys who were chosen for the study

specifically because they were from some of the most troubled

and disadvantaged families

in the Boston of the 1930s.

Most lived in tenements, many without hot and cold running water.

When they entered the study,

all of these teenagers were interviewed.

They were given medical exams.

We went to their homes and we interviewed their parents.

And then these teenagers grew up into adults

who entered all walks of life.

They became factory workers and lawyers and bricklayers and doctors,

one President of the United States.

Some developed alcoholism. A few developed schizophrenia.

Some climbed the social ladder

from the bottom all the way to the very top,

and some made that journey in the opposite direction.

The founders of this study

would never in their wildest dreams

have imagined that I would be standing here today, 75 years later,

telling you that the study still continues.

Every two years, our patient and dedicated research staff

calls up our men and asks them if we can send them

yet one more set of questions about their lives.

Many of the inner city Boston men ask us,

"Why do you keep wanting to study me? My life just isn't that interesting."

The Harvard men never ask that question.

(Laughter)

To get the clearest picture of these lives,

we don't just send them questionnaires.

We interview them in their living rooms.

We get their medical records from their doctors.

We draw their blood, we scan their brains,

we talk to their children.

We videotape them talking with their wives about their deepest concerns.

And when, about a decade ago, we finally asked the wives

if they would join us as members of the study,

many of the women said, "You know, it's about time."

(Laughter)

So what have we learned?

What are the lessons that come from the tens of thousands of pages

of information that we've generated

on these lives?

Well, the lessons aren't about wealth or fame or working harder and harder.

The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this:

Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.

We've learned three big lessons about relationships.

The first is that social connections are really good for us,

and that loneliness kills.

It turns out that people who are more socially connected

to family, to friends, to community,

are happier, they're physically healthier, and they live longer

than people who are less well connected.

And the experience of loneliness turns out to be toxic.

People who are more isolated than they want to be from others

find that they are less happy,

their health declines earlier in midlife,

their brain functioning declines sooner

and they live shorter lives than people who are not lonely.

And the sad fact is that at any given time,

more than one in five Americans will report that they're lonely.

And we know that you can be lonely in a crowd

and you can be lonely in a marriage,

so the second big lesson that we learned

is that it's not just the number of friends you have,

and it's not whether or not you're in a committed relationship,

but it's the quality of your close relationships that matters.

It turns out that living in the midst of conflict is really bad for our health.

High-conflict marriages, for example, without much affection,

turn out to be very bad for our health, perhaps worse than getting divorced.

And living in the midst of good, warm relationships is protective.

Once we had followed our men all the way into their 80s,

we wanted to look back at them at midlife

and to see if we could predict

who was going to grow into a happy, healthy octogenarian

and who wasn't.

And when we gathered together everything we knew about them

at age 50,

it wasn't their middle age cholesterol levels

that predicted how they were going to grow old.

It was how satisfied they were in their relationships.

The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50

were the healthiest at age 80.

And good, close relationships seem to buffer us

from some of the slings and arrows of getting old.

Our most happily partnered men and women

reported, in their 80s,

that on the days when they had more physical pain,

their mood stayed just as happy.

But the people who were in unhappy relationships,

on the days when they reported more physical pain,

it was magnified by more emotional pain.

And the third big lesson that we learned about relationships and our health

is that good relationships don't just protect our bodies,

they protect our brains.

It turns out that being in a securely attached relationship

to another person in your 80s is protective,

that the people who are in relationships

where they really feel they can count on the other person in times of need,

those people's memories stay sharper longer.

And the people in relationships

where they feel they really can't count on the other one,

those are the people who experience earlier memory decline.

And those good relationships, they don't have to be smooth all the time.

Some of our octogenarian couples could bicker with each other

day in and day out,

but as long as they felt that they could really count on the other

when the going got tough,

those arguments didn't take a toll on their memories.

So this message,

that good, close relationships are good for our health and well-being,

this is wisdom that's as old as the hills.

Why is this so hard to get and so easy to ignore?

Well, we're human.

What we'd really like is a quick fix,

something we can get

that'll make our lives good and keep them that way.

Relationships are messy and they're complicated

and the hard work of tending to family and friends,

it's not sexy or glamorous.

It's also lifelong. It never ends.

The people in our 75-year study who were the happiest in retirement

were the people who had actively worked to replace workmates with new playmates.

Just like the millennials in that recent survey,

many of our men when they were starting out as young adults

really believed that fame and wealth and high achievement

were what they needed to go after to have a good life.

But over and over, over these 75 years, our study has shown

that the people who fared the best were the people who leaned in to relationships,

with family, with friends, with community.

So what about you?

Let's say you're 25, or you're 40, or you're 60.

What might leaning in to relationships even look like?

Well, the possibilities are practically endless.

It might be something as simple as replacing screen time with people time

or livening up a stale relationship by doing something new together,

long walks or date nights,

or reaching out to that family member who you haven't spoken to in years,

because those all-too-common family feuds

take a terrible toll

on the people who hold the grudges.

I'd like to close with a quote from Mark Twain.

More than a century ago,

he was looking back on his life,

and he wrote this:

"There isn't time, so brief is life,

for bickerings, apologies, heartburnings, callings to account.

There is only time for loving,

and but an instant, so to speak, for that."

The good life is built with good relationships.

Thank you.

(Applause)