“Satisfaction with relationships was a better predictor of how people would age more than cholesterol, socioeconomic conditions, or genetics.” ~ Motley Fool contributors Brian Feroldi, Brian Stoffel, & Brian Withers
Positive and strong relationships keep you happier, healthier and living longer, according to the results of a 75+ year experiment started at Harvard during the Great Depression and according to dozens of other studies.
In 2002, two pioneers of Positive Psychology, Ed Diener and Martin Seligman, conducted a study at the University of Illinois on the 10% of students with the highest scores recorded on a survey of personal happiness. They found that the most salient characteristics shared by students who were very happy and showed the fewest signs of depression were “their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time with them.” The New Wallis, 2005).
“Social connections are really good for you; and loneliness kills. “People who are more socially connected to family, to friends, to community are happier; they are physically healthier; and they live longer than people who are less socially connected.”
A relative lack of social connections has been associated with depression and later-life cognitive decline, as well as with increased mortality. One study, found that lack of strong relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50% — an effect on mortality risk roughly comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and greater than obesity and physical inactivity.
Thus, satisfaction with relationships was a better predictor of how people would age more than cholesterol, socioeconomic conditions, or genetics.
Social connections give you pleasure, they also influence your long-term health in ways every bit as powerful as adequate sleep, a healthy whole real food diet, physical activity and not smoking.
Understanding finance and investing your personal capital are just a means to an end. The whole point of financial freedom is using that time that’s freed up to strengthen your personal relationships.
There’s nothing more important to a long-term mindset than good social relationships. The quality of your personal relations with other people is the number one factor that effects your level of life-satisfaction.
So, make it a priority to take time to foster your most meaningful relationships. Choose activities that are most likely to bring joy to you and the people you have the strongest personal relationships.
“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” ~ John C. Maxwell
References:
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-health-benefits-of-strong-relationships
- https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/science-of-happiness/relationships-and-happiness/