Forget regret! How to have a happy life – according to the world’s leading expert

n the 1980s, when data from the world’s longest-running study on happiness started to show that good relationships kept us healthier and happier, the researchers didn’t really believe it. “We know there’s a mind-body connection and we all pay lip service to it,” says Dr Robert Waldinger, the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has been running for 84 years.

“I’m sort of a voyeur,” says Waldinger, beaming through my screen when we talk on a video call. “I’ve followed all these lives – you can take someone’s folder, thousands of pages, and you can flip through a life. Yes, we do a lot of sophisticated number crunching, but being able to read a life is pretty amazing.”

Waldinger subscribes to the theory that happiness falls into two categories. Hedonic wellbeing can be summed up as “am I having a good time right now?” he says. Then there is the Aristotelian idea of eudaimonic wellbeing: “That sense of life being meaningful and basically good.” How aware was Waldinger of antisemitism as a child? “A bit,” he says. “We were not significantly discriminated against, but it was there.” It was under the surface, but in day-to-day life, he says, people were basically decent to each other. “That’s one of the things that’s so hard now, because the right wing in the US and around the world is taking the lid off some of these prejudices – racism, antisemitism – and that’s what I find so disheartening.

Happiness “happens” to us, he says . “But there are things we can put in place in our lives that make us more likely to feel happiness more of the time.” Taking care of your health, diet, sleep and exercise are big ones: “If you are in better health, you are more likely to be happy.” But so is taking care of your relationships. “That’s partly because they help us with the flip side: they don’t just make us happy; they also help us weather the unhappy times, the challenges.

. Interviews wealthy white man with happy childhood as happiness expert .

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Parents speak after teen killed in WA shark attack: ‘Vibrant and happy girl’The parents of Stella Berry, the Perth teenager who died in the first first fatal shark attack in the Swan River in a century, have revealed the devastation of the loss of their “beautiful girl”. 7NEWS
Source: 7NewsAustralia - 🏆 11. / 71 Read more »

Val Guseli stuns snowboard world in historic World Cup firstAustralian teenager Valentino Guseli claims silver medals in the halfpipe and slopestyle World Cup events on the same day at Deer Valley to cement a world first medal record. A world's first you're ignoring ABC is that Thailand looks as it will tear up the contract with Pfizer after the princess next in line to the throne remains in a coma since mid Dec after her third jab. Seems they want their billions back too.💀💉💉💉💉 -yawn- Boring Great Stuff 🌟💪👏🇦🇺
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Tiba's father wasn't happy about her move to Turkey. When she returned to Iraq, he killed herThe death of 22-year-old Tiba al-Ali has sparked calls for protests in Baghdad as human rights groups condemned the practice of 'honour killings'. If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit In an emergency, call 000.
Source: SBSNews - 🏆 3. / 89 Read more »

Benjamin Packer Barham splurges on record-breaking $8.4 million Bondi penthouse - realestate.com.auKerry Packer’s grandson Benjamin Packer Barham is the happy new owner of a stunning $8.4m Bondi penthouse boasting incredible beach and harbour views.
Source: dailytelegraph - 🏆 21. / 51 Read more »

Liam Wilson launches official protest after controversial world title defeatLiam Wilson's team have lodged a protest after he floored Emanuel Navarrete in the fourth round before losing their WBO world title fight by stoppage. That count went every bit of 20 seconds. Professional tactic, but a better ref would have exposed him. Not often that a male sportsman is acknowledged for being a father, as well as a sportsman. Well done ABC.
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Aussie underdog to launch protest after denied world title: ‘Unbelievable’Liam Wilson’s corner will launch a protest after he was denied an incredible underdog boxing world title, beaten by favourite Emanuel Navarrete despite flooring the Mexican in the fourth round. 7NEWS It was a great fight, but he wasn’t robbed
Source: 7NewsAustralia - 🏆 11. / 71 Read more »