Why a person's happiness depends a great deal on their relationships with others
and World War II) examined why some individuals crumble subsequent to adversity while others sustain their well-being. Both children and adults who were embedded in strong social networks were more likely to find meaning and purpose in the adversity they experienced than those who did not have such robust social relationships in their lives.Strong connections are not only needed in adversity but also in good times.
Perhaps the longest-running study to examine the link between social connection and well-being over the life span was launched at Harvard University in 1937. Harvard’s health services director Arlie Bock formed a team of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, medical doctors, and anthropologists to conduct the study.
his longitudinal study toward the well-heeled, tweed-jacketed elite—to the homes of 486 11-to-16-year-old male adolescents from Boston’s poorest neighborhoods.Source: Walter Randlehoff/Unsplash. Among the Harvard elite, four participants ran for the U.S. Senate, and one even became president.