The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier
And the people in relationships where they feel they really can’t count on the other one,those are the people who experience earlier memory decline
To get the clearest picture of these lives, we don’t just send them questionnaires. We interview them in their living rooms. We get their medical records from their doctors. We draw their blood, we scan their brains, we talk to their children. We videotape them talking with their wives about their deepest concerns.And when, about a decade ago, we finally asked the wives if they would join us as members of the study,many of the women said, “You know, it’s about time.”
So what have we learned? What are the lessons that come from the tens of thousands of pages of information that we’ve generated on these lives? Well, the lessons aren’t about wealth or fame or working harder and harder. Period.
We’ve learned three big lessons about relationships.
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