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The Lifelong Power of Close Friendships

Six takeaways:

The Harvard Study of Adult Development has tracked an original group of 724 men and more than 1,300 of their male and female descendants over three generations, surveying them with hundreds of questions about happiness. They have found that the most important factor in long-term health and happiness are strong personal connections.

When the original group reached their 80s, the researchers looked back on their survey answers from the 80s and looked for correlations to their physical health in their later years. The conclusion: those who were happiest in their relationships in their fifties were the healthiest when they reached their eighties.

Many studies have reached similar conclusions. A study tracking 3,720 adults in Baltimore since 2004 found that participants who reported receiving more social support also reported less depression. A study based in Dunedin, New Zealand, found that the presence of strong social connections in adolescence proved better than academic achievement at predicting well-being in adulthood.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development went so far as to call subjects on multiple consecutive days to track their happiness, and found that in aggregate, people were happier at the end of days in which they’d enjoyed longer social interaction or been around someone they loved.

The reason for this may come down to evolution. Human beings have evolved to be social, and the biological processes that encourage socializing are there to protect us. When we do not follow the social urge, our bodies and brains react in ways that are designed to help us survive that isolation.

You don’t need to force yourself to be social all of the time, but this article should serve to remind you that building strong relationships now is an investment in your own personal happiness & health later on in life– and by being social, you are helping someone invest in theirs as well!

From Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz at The Wall Street Journal:

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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Quit Your Bucket List

Five takeaways:

New research shows that the well-known idea of a “bucket list”–a list of thrilling experiences one wants to have before they die– does not actually track with the immediate priorities of those faced with the end of their lives (such as those with terminal diseases).

Research in fact shows that people tend to prefer familiar experiences more when they are reminded that their days are limited. In some cases, they can regret moments of thrill-seeking or short sighted decision making throughout their lives.

Even when not facing death, many people just don’t seem to like exiting their comfort zone or breaking their routines. In 2017, a poll by a British soup company found that 77 percent of U.K. workers had consumed the exact same lunch every day for nine months and that one in six people had done so for at least two years.

While new and unexpected experiences can be rewarding– they often show a huge spike in dopamine release and more intense sense of pleasure– they do not bring the type of enduring happiness that can arise with familiar comforts, which may bring less adrenaline but hold greater sentimental value or sense of emotional ease.

While globe-trotting trips and adrenalized experiences have value, prioritizing the meaningful connections in your life will ensure that you don’t reach the end of your life wishing you had spent more time on them.

From Richard A. Friedman at The Atlantic:
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Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

A Crucial Character Trait for Happiness

Six takeaways:

Enthusiasm for life (as 19th-century philosopher William James put it, “zest [for] the common objects of life.”) is one of the biggest and most often ignored drivers of individual happiness.

We can take steps in our own lives to enhance/build our sense of enthusiasm. Overall, they involve a conscious decision to resist the urge to withdraw from the minutiae of life.

One tactic to enhance your enthusiasm is to use the “As If Principle“: This is a “fake it till you make it” approach– research shows that intentionally faking enthusiasm for things can actually result in increased enthusiasm for them.

One can also reframe challenges as chances. This is a common strategy in creativity and innovation, and a successful technique in business leadership. When presented with a challenge or problem, look at it as a chance to improve, learn, or build.

It is also important to Curate Your Friends. If you notice a tendency to withdraw, try to hang out with people you find infectiously enthusiastic- the active, the extroverted. Their habits can rub off on you!

Overall, some level of withdrawal can be healthy; it is also not sustainable to force enthusiasm on oneself- but being intentional about elevating enthusiasm’s role in your life can lead to a healthier, happier existence.

From Arthur C Brooks at The Atlantic:
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Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

What Is the Ideal Retirement Age for Your Health?

Five takeaways:

Several countries are considering raising their retirement age to offset the economic pressures of aging population. While a later retirement age may have clear overall economic benefits, the physical and mental implications of making such a drastic collective change must be considered.

While life expectancies have gone up over the last hundred years, the type of work people are doing has also changed. In 2020, roughly 45 percent of the American labor force worked in a knowledge-based field, such as management, business and finance, education, and health care. In 1935, these types of professions accounted for just 6 percent of the workforce.

Experts think that the collective rise of knowledge-based jobs makes a higher retirement age a bit more reasonable, as cognitive properties stay sharp into one’s 70s. Staying at work in some capacity has shown to have health benefits for people in their 70s as well, as long as the work is not physically laborious.

This is not to say that a raised retirement age should be instituted across the board. Jobs that are more hands-on, active, and laborious, might in fact require a slightly younger retirement age. There is research that shows retirement around the mid-sixties from physically challenging work can lead to stronger cognitive output.

Overall, the article shows that a single, uniform retirement age is always going to be imperfect. There are too many factors– the type of work, a worker’s ethnic background or socioeconomic status– to find a perfect number. On an individual level, we should take every step we can to ensure that our retirements are healthy, physically, mentally, and financially.

From Dana G. Smith at The New York Times:
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Note: You will need a free account with The New York Times to view this article. At the time of this posting The Times offers 10 free free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

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