Friendships are the Best Predictor of Happiness

�The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.�

�

�

After nearly 75 years, the only consistent finding comes right out of�It�s a Wonderful Life.�Successful friendships, the messy bridges that connect friends and family, are what predict people�s happiness as they hurtle through life. Friendships are a better predictor than any other single variable. By the time a person reaches middle age, they are the�only�predictor. Says Jonathan Haidt, a researcher who has extensively studied the link between socialization and happiness: �Human beings are in some ways like bees. We have evolved to live in intensely social groups, and we don�t do as well when freed from hives.�

�

The more intimate the relationship, the better. A colleague of Vaillant�s showed that people don�t gain entrance to the top 10 percent of the happiness pile unless they are involved in a romantic relationship of some kind. Marriage is a big factor. About 40 percent of married adults describe themselves as �very happy�, whereas 23 percent of the never-marrieds do.

�

More research has since confirmed and extended these simple findings. In addition to satisfying relationships, other behaviors that predict happiness include:

� a steady dose of altruistic acts

� making lists of things for which you are grateful, which generates feelings of happiness in the short term

� cultivating a general �attitude of gratitude, which generates feelings of happiness in the long term

� sharing novel experiences with a loved one

� deploying a ready �forgiveness reflex� when loved ones slight you

Notes:

Having strong social bonds and the opportunities for altruistic acts are a strong predictor of lifelong fulfillment.

Folksonomies: friendships social bonds altruism

Taxonomies:
/society/social institution/marriage (0.602551)
/health and fitness (0.479056)
/society/social institution/marriage/common law marriage (0.433298)

Keywords:
altruistic acts (0.905446 (positive:0.870285)), happiness (0.902951 (positive:0.538438)), Life.�Successful friendships (0.870957 (positive:0.488254)), strong social bonds (0.833570 (positive:0.923467)), intensely social groups (0.792598 (neutral:0.000000)), people�s happiness (0.790634 (neutral:0.000000)), happiness pile (0.766875 (positive:0.226997)), n�t gain entrance (0.762900 (positive:0.226997)), Best Predictor (0.754604 (positive:0.923467)), strong predictor (0.753600 (positive:0.923467)), sharing novel experiences (0.742870 (positive:0.916944)), better predictor (0.706208 (positive:0.655759)), lifelong fulfillment (0.604059 (positive:0.923467)), messy bridges (0.592159 (negative:-0.246723)), consistent finding (0.578961 (positive:0.488254)), single variable (0.569775 (positive:0.655759)), Human beings (0.567592 (positive:0.610927)), middle age (0.564789 (neutral:0.000000)), steady dose (0.563570 (positive:0.817104)), forgiveness reflex (0.560785 (positive:0.502052)), Jonathan Haidt (0.559021 (positive:0.419304)), big factor (0.558227 (positive:0.445205)), simple findings (0.549483 (neutral:0.000000)), married adults (0.548134 (neutral:0.000000)), romantic relationship (0.541385 (positive:0.226997)), making lists (0.535778 (positive:0.494963)), short term (0.528625 (positive:0.296281)), long term (0.525733 (positive:0.611048)), percent (0.485894 (positive:0.226997)), feelings (0.396793 (positive:0.453664))

Entities:
Vaillant:Company (0.805691 (positive:0.226997)), Jonathan Haidt:Person (0.795475 (positive:0.419304)), researcher:JobTitle (0.682329 (positive:0.634400)), 10 percent:Quantity (0.682329 (neutral:0.000000)), 23 percent:Quantity (0.682329 (neutral:0.000000)), 40 percent:Quantity (0.682329 (neutral:0.000000)), 75 years:Quantity (0.682329 (neutral:0.000000))

Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five

Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Medina , John (2010-10-12), Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five, Pear Press, Retrieved on 2011-07-27

Folksonomies: parenting pregnancy babies child development