It took 75 years and 20 million dollars to reach a conclusion of five words: Happiness is Love. Full stop. These were the words of George Valliant, responsible of an impressive venture of more than 40 years in the field of psychology, the longest lasting study in the history of the science, a legacy for the next generation of researchers. This study, known as the Harvard Study, involved 268 physically and mentally healthy men who were studying at Harvard University between 1939 and 1944 as well as 456 underprivileged, law abiding men who were living in the center of Boston from 1940 up until 1945. The participants were assessed every ten years through questionnaires which were collected by their physicians and in many cases personal interviews were conducted. The information gathered had to do with their physical and mental health, work satisfaction, retirement experience and the quality of their marriage.
The aim of the study was to detect factors which are connected to healthy ageing. One of the main conclusions is that warmth, as a characteristic of relationships that someone has throughout his life, has the greatest influence on the sense of satisfaction in life.
The Harvard Study is the guide for what is valuable in life. Throughout our whole life, regardless of the level of education and financial status, independent of the type of work and far and beyond our health, what ultimately determines the quality of our life is the positive relationships, the relationships which offer us warmth and love.