The Good Life cover art

The Good Life

Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

$14.95/mo. after 30-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Try for $0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for $29.96

Buy Now for $29.96

About this listen

 A New York Times Bestseller

What makes for a happy life, a fulfilling life? A good life? In their “captivating” (The Wall Street Journal) book, the directors of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study of happiness ever conducted, show that the answer to these questions may be closer than you realize.

What makes a life fulfilling and meaningful? The simple but surprising answer is: relationships. The stronger our relationships, the more likely we are to live happy, satisfying, and healthier lives. In fact, the Harvard Study of Adult Development reveals that the strength of our connections with others can predict the health of both our bodies and our brains as we go through life.

The invaluable insights in this book emerge from the revealing personal stories of hundreds of participants in the Harvard Study as they were followed year after year for their entire adult lives, and this wisdom was bolstered by research findings from many other studies. Relationships in all their forms—friendships, romantic partnerships, families, coworkers, tennis partners, book club members, Bible study groups—all contribute to a happier, healthier life. And as The Good Life shows us, it’s never too late to strengthen the relationships you already have, and never too late to build new ones. The Good Life provides examples of how to do this.

Dr. Waldinger’s TED Talk about the Harvard Study, “What Makes a Good Life,” has been viewed more than 42 million times and is one of the ten most-watched TED talks ever. The Good Life has been praised by bestselling authors Jay Shetty (“an empowering quest towards our greatest need: meaningful human connection”), Angela Duckworth (“In a crowded field of life advice...Schulz and Waldinger stand apart”), and happiness expert Laurie Santos (“Waldinger and Schulz are world experts on the counterintuitive things that make life meaningful”).

With “insightful [and] interesting” (Daniel Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness) life stories, The Good Life shows us how we can make our lives happier and more meaningful through our connections to others. Friendship Personal Development Personal Success Relationships Happiness Aging Parent Inspiring Health

What the critics say

"The authors/narrators, who are mental health researchers and administrators, offer inspiring information that goes beyond scientific findings. Performing alternate chapters with vocal clarity and humanitarian intentions, they persuasively argue that strong personal relationships are essential for happiness and that such relationships can be started or re-energized at any stage of life. The study they oversee finds that people who don’t prioritize connecting with others die younger and are more lonely, physically sick, and negative about their lives. One of the authors sounds earnest and pleasingly vulnerable; the other more self-contained and matter-of-fact. Both sound sensitive to the human condition, a trait that will allow their touching message to influence listeners who might be avoiding or underappreciating the value of meaningful relationships."
All stars
Most Relevant
Really enjoyed this book and loved hearing about the Harvard study. It changed my perspective on relationships.

Good listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An interesting book about a quite interesting study in psychology … that I have not heard about before. It made me give a thought or two about some impulsive questions and need to review them at least nice a year. Something that we all know … but seldom embrace it as a habit. Highly recommended read/listen. BTW performance is excellent too.

Triggering good vibes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. I found it informative and interesting. It was an excellent in-depth analysis of human nature.

Loved this book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I just saved you buying it. That's the whole book. That one word is tortured and teased a hundred ways. You can live a long, healthy, happy life by cultivating your relationships with others. For this I need two credentialed experts who do not read engagingly? So get out there, love and be loved, and read something else.

"relationships"

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Pretty interesting but this book is only about relationships. Long story short, have a good friends. The end

Only about relationships

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews