What 85 years of research says is the real key to happiness | Robert Waldinger: Full Interview
July 25, 2025
819,400
16,500
653
2.09%
Search the Record
IndexedEvery word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
Big Think Episodes Around July 25, 2025
See what was published immediately before and after this episode.
1:01:38Now PlayingWhat 85 years of research says is the real key to happiness | Robert Waldinger: Full Interview
Chapters
YouTube Description
as posted by the channelBecome a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more“We can make ourselves more likely to be happy by building a life that includes the conditions that make for happiness.”
Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ►
Up next, Harvard professor’s 6step guide to Zen Buddhism ►
What if the secret to lasting happiness has been hiding in plain sight? Harvard psychiatrist Robert Waldinger reveals insights from the world’s longest study on adult life, 85 years of data that challenge our assumptions about success, health, and fulfillment.
Waldinger shares how our relationships and connections – not our wealth, fame, or success, directly boosts our minds, bodies, and longevity.
Read the video transcript ►
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go Deeper with Big Think:
►Become a Big Think Member
Get exclusive content, early, adfree access to new releases, and more.
►Get Big Think+ for Business
Engage learners like never before with highimpact video microlearning from the biggest thinkers in the world.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Robert Waldinger:
Robert Waldinger, MD is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a practicing psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and a Zen teacher and practitioner.
For the last two decades, Waldinger has been the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. This study, conducted over more than 85 years, has analyzed the entire lives of 724 families to determine the activities, behaviors, and dynamics that enhance a person’s life-long well-being. Waldinger has dedicated his career to examining these elements and discovering what brings true fulfillment to human existence.
He is the author of several books, including his most recent, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.
Guests & Subjects Covered
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.