Researchers have been studying happiness for many years. Everyone wants to know how to be happier, and we wonder if there’s a hidden secret that science can discover for us.
Recently an 80-year Harvard study, the longest study ever done on the subject of happiness, made a conclusion that probably shouldn’t surprise us: “Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives.” Strong bonds with loved ones, the study found, “protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, [intelligence], or even genes.”
It’s no secret: our relationships matter. This idea may seem obvious, but it’s easy to forget. Life has a way of isolating us. Sometimes it’s busyness that interferes with our relationships. Sometimes it’s jealousy or some perceived offense. We might feel that we have been treated unkindly or unfairly. This can lead to anger and resentment, further damaging the relationships that promote happiness.
To make matters worse, social media and other technologies have made many of those relationships more virtual than real. Through the filter of social media, we see people only in part, and we might wonder why our lives aren’t as successful or happy as everyone else’s life seems to be. And so we become anxious and unhappy.
How can we push those negative feelings down when we feel them taking root in our hearts? How can we value and nurture the relationships that make us truly happy?
We might need to take a break from social media and reconnect with the loved ones around us. We might need to remember that what we see of others’ lives isn’t ever the full story. We might need to forgive—and ask for forgiveness. And we might need to focus less on what we lack and more on the goodness and blessings that fill our lives every day.
Money, fame, and social status come and go; they make for a shaky foundation for life. Instead, build your life on loving relationships, and they will be the bedrock of lasting happiness.
-Lloyd D. Newell
Liz Mineo, “Good Genes Are Nice, but Joy Is Better,” Harvard Gazette, Apr. 11, 2017, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life.
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March 18, 2018
Broadcast Number 4,618
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Conductor
Mack Wilberg
Guest Artists
BYU-Idaho Collegiate Singers
Conductor
Randall Kempton
Organist
Andrew Unsworth
Host
Lloyd Newell
Saints Bound for Heaven
American folk hymn; arr. Mack Wilberg
I Feel My Savior’s Love
K. Newell Dayley; arr. Sam Cardon
A Highland Ayre
Richard Purvis
Prayer
René Clausen
My Favorite Things, from The Sound of Music
Richard Rogers; arr. Arthur Harris
I Got a Key
Spiritual; arr. Joni Jensen
O Clap Your Hands
Ralph Vaughan Williams