• What constitutes a happy and fulfilling life?
• What is ultimately the good life?

These questions are addressed by a unique study conducted over the past eighty-plus years at Harvard University. As part of the Adult Development Study, the program's researchers have tracked and continue to track the development of hundreds of men and women throughout their lives. It is worth noting that the people participating in the study, which began in 1938, come from diverse economic and social backgrounds—privileged and non-privileged. The valuable conclusions drawn from the study are presented in this special book, which combines scientific data with hundreds of personal life journeys in an enjoyable narrative.

The most important of these will surprise you with its simplicity:

The key to a happy, satisfying, and overall healthier life is our relationships with other people. The strength of our relationships is a decisive factor for the health of both our body and our brain. Relationships in all their forms—friendly, romantic, family, collegial, neighborly, or within a shared activity—contribute to living a good life. Thus, it is never too late to strengthen the relationships you already have, and it is never too late to create new bonds.