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  • Published: 7 January 2025
  • ISBN: 9781846046780
  • Imprint: Rider
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $24.99

The Good Life

Lessons from the World's Longest Study on Happiness




A life-changing book on happiness from the directors of the longest study of happiness in the world and the subject of one of the top 10 TED talks ever.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

‘This captivating, powerful book shows us scientifically and practically how to define, create and most importantly live the good life’ Jay Shetty

What is the key to a good life?

It is a question that preoccupies us all and one that the longest and most successful study of happiness ever conducted strives to answer. In this groundbreaking book, directors of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz, bring together over 80 years of research to reveal the true components of a happy, fulfilled life.

The Good Life makes clear that what truly makes a rich and happy life is not synonymous with financial success and achievement, but is rather the result of our relationships. This remarkable work brings together scientific precision, traditional wisdom, incredible real-life stories and actionable insights to prove once and for all that our own wellbeing and ability to flourish is absolutely within our control.

‘In a crowded field of life advice and even life advice based on scientific research, Schulz and Waldinger stand apart’ Angela Duckworth, author of Grit

'An outstanding book. It combines the longest and richest study of human lives anywhere with two remarkable authors of extraordinary breadth' Richard Layard, author of Can We Be Happier?

  • Published: 7 January 2025
  • ISBN: 9781846046780
  • Imprint: Rider
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $24.99

About the authors

Robert Waldinger

Dr Robert Waldinger is Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Center for Psychodynamic Therapy and Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. He is also a Zen Priest.

Marc Schulz

Marc Schulz is the Associate Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development and Chair and Professor of Psychology at Bryn Mawr College.

Praise for The Good Life

This captivating, powerful book shows us scientifically and practically how to define, create and most importantly live the good life ... in a world seeking temporary and instant pleasures, this book gently encourages past the illusion towards the real joy that lies in the depths of our relationships

Jay Shetty

Waldinger is a world expert on the counterintuitive things that make life meaningful. His book will provide welcome advice for a world facing unprecedented levels of unhappiness and loneliness

Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology, Yale University

In a crowded filed of life advice ... Schulz and Waldinger stand apart. Capitalizing on the most intensive study of adult development in history, they tell us what makes a good life and why

Angela Duckworth
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