How to be happy, according to the longest-running study of happiness (New Scientist, 9 Jan 23):
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With more than eight decades of data at hand, what is the most important thing you have learned?
The big, surprising takeaway is how much having warm connections with other people predicts how long you stay healthy, how long your brain will stay sharp. Having these good connections makes you less likely to get coronary artery disease. You’re even less likely to get arthritis.
Can you explain what you mean by “warm”?
Warm equals a relationship that feels supportive. That could mean emotional support, advice, financial support, logistical support. Anything that could be called supportive, as opposed to relationships that feel draining, acrimonious or exploitative.
Which relationships are best for us?
There are different kinds of relationships that confer health benefits. One type is what we call a secure attachment relationship: that person who you could call in the night if you were sick or scared. Everybody needs somebody like that in their life. Other types of relationships that convey health benefits are friendships, family relationships, work relationships. And some of them, we’re learning now, are what are called “casual ties”: the person who makes your coffee for you at the coffee shop every day, who you exchange some pleasant words with; the person who checks out your groceries in the grocery store, who you see every week. Those more casual ties turn out to give us little hits of well-being as well.
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