“How to Be Happy for 100 Years or More”

There have been many studies following people from high school until they die… for more than 80 years. And there are some very interesting ideas that have come out of these studies, showing us exactly how to live happy lives. So here are a few points about living a great life.

Stay Socially Connected - Those who are willing to stay socially connected with lots of people around them live long, happy, healthy lives. That doesn’t mean they have to be married but it does help.

Have Good Relationships - Good relationships are the cornerstone of all these studies. Everyone in studies were asked about what they wanted in life and those who replied “Money, fame, and fortune” all ended up alone died early. But those who got married, had kids, with lots of extended family around were very happy and lived to be 90 years old.

Be Loving and Kind - In these studies it’s been shown that those who held grudges, were angry, or hated people end up alone with more bodily pains and died early. But those who learned to forgive, forget, and more on with life lived long, happy, healthy lives.

Money is Not That Important - Those who centered their lives around loving relationships were the happiest. Those who centered their lives around money and fame were not happy, in fact most died early in life.

Have Someone You Can Count On - Those who got married and were in a loving relationships were not always hugging and kissing, in fact some of them even argued a lot. But they knew when times were hard, they could count on each other to be there. But those who had terrible marriages ended up dying early and suffered lots of pain.

Learn to Share Your Feelings - People who were willing to share their feelings, instead of hold their feelings in were happier. Our willingness to share our inner most feelings has a lot to do with the quality of our life… sharing is being human.

Work on Your Relationship - Those in loving relationships who were willing to put in the time of working on the relationship were happier. It seems that hard work in a relationship meant they cared about each other, and knew deep down inside they wanted to be with that person… thus they lived happier lives.

Create Satisfying Relationships - The quality of a relationship has a direct bearing on the quality of our life. If a person is happy in their relationship, and their needs are met they live longer. But if a person’s needs are never met they die early.

Have a Spiritual Basis for Life - Those who have a deep belief in God, and had a relationship with their Maker lived longer than those who didn’t believe in anything. Also those with social relationships with their church, temple, and other places of worship were happier.

Learn to Enjoy Being Around Lots of People - Those who live alone, and those who felt alone even though they were surrounded by people lived short unhappy lives. But those who loved being around people, and loved interacting with people lived long happy lives.

These are just a few examples of what makes a long, happy, healthy life. And it’s very interesting that money was not that important, in fact those who ended up having lots of money died early. We are social beings, we need loving interaction with lots of people, and we need fulfilling interactions with loved ones. And we need to know we have someone we can count on. Plus it’s also important to have spiritual beliefs and a connection to our Maker.So lets go out and have lots of loving relationships that last forever and have a loving relationship with God, the Universe, and the One and Only.

Personally I find it interesting that people are happier if they work on their relationships and have lots of family around them. Perhaps that’s why in indigenous communities there’s always lots of extended family around. And even though they have next to nothing they are happy. Perhaps we need to take a step back and remember what family is all about. We need to live simple lives, connected to people, enjoying the interactions of family and friends, and understanding our great connection to nature… and the cosmos in general.

Many Blessings to Everyone!
Dr. Paul Haider