The (Scientific) Pursuit of Happiness
- Posted by: Andrew Price
- on May 13, 2009 at 7:47 pm
The Harvard Study of Adult Development, begun in 1937, has been following the lives of 268 men, from college to death, to learn what makes for a good life.
Dr. George Vaillant, a professor at Harvard Medical School, has been the director of the study for 42 years. In this excellent short video from The Atlantic, he discusses lessons he learned about fame, ambition, and happiness along the way. In the end, his expansive empirical studies confirmed what John Lennon told us a few decades ago:
“The job isn’t conforming, it isn’t keeping up with the Jones’. It is playing and working and loving. And loving is probably the most important. Happiness is love. Full stop.”
But it’s great to hear it from a doctor.
The video shouldn’t be missed. There’s also an accompaniying article.
Via Boing Boing.
