4 Life Lessons That Lead To Happiness, Success, And Longevity

We see an endless stream of one-off studies in the news.

This makes you healthy. Wait, no, it doesn't. Oh hold on, yes, it does. Um, no, no it doesn't…

Unless we can somehow put them all into perspective, these little drips and drabs of knowledge really aren't much more than trivia.

What happens when you study entire lives?

When you check in on big groups of people again and again for decades?

What do you learn about what makes a good life? About what makes us all happy? What makes us thrive? What leads to success? And what doesn't?

This isn't just a thought experiment.

The Grant Study followed a group of 268 men for 75 years. The Terman Study started in 1921 with 1528 children and is still ongoing.

So when we look at these studies, what life lessons can we learn to make sure our own lives are more fulfilling, happy and successful?

1. "Happiness is love. Full Stop."

When asked to succinctly summarize his findings, what did George Valliant, who shepherded the Grant Study, say? "Happiness is love. Full Stop."

Via Triumphs of Experience: The seventy-five years and twenty million dollars expended on the Grant Study points, at least to me, to a straightforward five-word conclusion: "Happiness is love. Full stop." Virgil, of course, needed only three words to say the same thing, and he said them a very long time ago — Omnia vincit amor, love conquers all — but unfortunately he had no data to back them up.

The Terman Study agrees — having a large social network and nurturing relationships adds years to your life.

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