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Reflections on what it means to live a good life—drawn from research, clinical work, and everyday experience.

  • Article

    The Happiness Trinity

    Why it’s so hard to answer the question  What makes us happiest? After writing about how and why Americans are depressed, I thought I’d...

  • Article

    How To Live ‘The Good Life’

    Is there a secret to living a better and happier life? In  The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness...

  • Article

    I was drifting from my best friend. So we went to therapy together

    In his mid-30s, Sammi Gale feared losing his best friend Billy. So he suggested something radical: seeing a professional to save their...

  • Article

    How leaders find happiness — and teach it

    Symposium examines science, outlines opportunities to tackle mental health crisis Arthur Brooks likes to give students in his popular...

  • Article

    The Buddha on Zoom

    Dr. Robert Waldinger offers five ways to keep our connection alive in this time of separation. Picture the Buddha teaching on Zoom. He...

  • Article

    Is This the Secret to Happiness?

    Buddhism, psychology, and life experience all agree on one point, says Zen priest and psychiatrist Robert Waldinger: a larger, more...

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The research collection

For those who want to go deeper

The ideas here are grounded in decades of scientific research. A small number of studies have shaped how we understand what makes a good life.

This is a curated selection of key research from the Harvard Study of Adult Development and Bob’s other work—shared for those who want to explore the evidence more closely.

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research collection

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