Notes on: How Good Habits and Strong Relationships Improve Outcomes

'How Good Habits and Strong Relationships Improve Outcomes' is taken from the course, 'Managing Happiness,' by Arthur Brooks on edX.org.

According to the Harvard Study of Adult Development, people basically end up in one of four quadrants:

1. Happy and healthy.

2. Happy and unhealthy.

3. Unhappy and healthy.

4. Unhappy and unhealthy.

Robert Waldinger uses data to explain what the people in the study did that put them in quadrant one - happy and healthy.

The Happy and Healthy Quadrant

First of all, it is important to understand that there are lots of factors we cannot control, and some people end up happy and healthy in life through luck, while others are unlucky and may be born with a genetic predisposition to certain diseases.

Luck aside, we find two things within our control that would indicate a happy and healthier life later on.

First, and it may seem obvious, but if we take care of our bodies: eat healthy, limit the amount of things that do us damage (like drugs, alcohol, sugar), exercise regularly, and get enough sleep, if we exercise regularly, if we get decent amounts of sleep; that we would lay a stronger foundation for physical well-being that translates to better aging, with slower decline and a longer life.

Second, and this was the surprising one, was that being more connected to other people also predicted you'd be happy and healthy longer.

Other research groups have corroborated the data across various studies, and evidence shows that it is both the quantity and quality of the social connections that matters. People who have at least one warm relationship they can count on, stay healthier longer, and happier too.

Research also shows that some of the more casual connections we have also give us small boosts of happiness throughout the day, from saying hello to a neighbour to chatting to the checkout person at the grocery store.

Additionally, the broader your network becomes, the more chances you know someone who can help you with something down the road, like a referral for a better job.

The quality connections, what are referred to as warm relationships, can be found in marriages (although some marriages are certainly not warm), friends and any connection where you feel someone would be there for you when you needed them. Having at least one person you can rely on actually provides an emotional security that impacts your physical health as well.

Relationships are emotion regulators. Stress happens all the time, which causes our heart rate stress hormone levels in the blood to increase, and if you are isolated, then there is no one to talk to about it, and the stress can fester longer, and maybe not decrease at all, which leads to a break down of the systems needed to keep you healthy. On the other hand, good, dependable, relationships can help bring our body back to its baseline in times of stress.

All types of connections give you a mood boost, which impacts your physical health as well, but having at least one warm connection is key to living and happier and healthier life.