World's longest happiness experiment has been on for 87 years. THIS is its biggest revelation

One of the longest-running experiments in the world is focused on happiness. What makes a person happy and healthy, the nearly 87-year-long experiment aims to understand, IFL Science reported. The Harvard Study of Adult Development started in 1938 as two separate studies. The first one was the Grant Study, funded by the William T. Grant Foundation and led by Dr George E. Vaillant. The study recruited 268 men from the undergraduate classes at Harvard University. 

At the same time, the Glueck Study also kicked off with 456 male participants from areas around Boston. Both experiments aimed to follow the participants throughout their lifetimes to know which factors impact their health and happiness as they grow older.

Believe it or not, US President John F Kennedy was among the participants of this study. Only a few participants from the original experiment are alive today. 

The study has now entered its Second Generation mode where the children of the original participants are being monitored. Psychiatrist Dr Robert Waldinger is leading this study.

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Waldinger and associate director Dr Marc Schulz have published the findings in a book called The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.

Loneliness is dangerous

The biggest revelation of the study is that relationships matter the most. Waldinger told The Harvard Gazette in 2017 that "our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health."

“Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too. That, I think, is the revelation," he added.

The study, specifically in view of the COVID-19 times, found that loneliness impacts health. As per some other studies, the effects of isolation are similar to smoking or obesity. In the elderly, loneliness can cause heart disease. In contrast, having social connections can lead to better brain health.

The “loneliness epidemic" has also been cited as a serious matter by the World Health Organization (WHO). The world body has called for the problem to be “recognised and resourced as a global public health priority.” 

However, that doesn't mean that introverts are unhealthy. Waldinger says, “They just may need one or two really solid relationships and don’t want a lot more people. Nothing wrong with that at all.”

It is more about the quality of relationships than quantity.