Presented by the HBSAB Senior Alum Discussion Group
The Harvard Gazette summarizes the Grant Study:
“Harvard study, almost 80 years old, has proved that embracing community helps us live longer,
and be happier.”
The Grant Study is a longitudinal study of 268 physically- and mentally-healthy Harvard College students
from the classes of 1939 to 1944. It has run along side of The Glueck Study which studied 456
disadvantaged inner-city youths.
One key study point: “The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a
powerful influence on our health.”
We will be discussing this and other findings from the study.
To prepare, please review these materials:
- Harvard Gazette article
- TED talk by Robert Waldinger, the current head of the study.
We will start our discussion with this video.
- CBS interview on the Study’s web site
- CNBC summary of the Study
We will start with a review of the TED Talk, then move on to a discussion.
Some topics:
- Does your experience support the Study?
- How does the information help us in this part of our lives?
- How do we develop new relationships to replace the relationships we had at work?
- Are you thinking of adjusting your life based on all this information?