Dr. Robert Waldinger: What does 85 years of research reveal about a Good Life?

2026-07-21 · 68 min · 44 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

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Entities found in this episode

concepts 26

mentioned Relationships concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: relationships
mentioned Spirituality concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: spirituality
mentioned Health concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health
mentioned Wellness concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: wellness
mentioned well-being concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: well-being
mentioned social connection concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: social connection
mentioned health & well-being concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health & well-being
mentioned emotional well-being concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: emotional well-being
mentioned meaning concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: meaning
mentioned public health concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: public health
mentioned isolation concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: isolation
mentioned togetherness concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: togetherness
mentioned personal growth concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: personal growth
discusses Relationships concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: relationships
discusses Spirituality concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: spirituality
discusses Health concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health
discusses Wellness concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: wellness
discusses well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: well-being
discusses social connection concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: social connection
discusses health & well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health & well-being
discusses emotional well-being concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: emotional well-being
discusses meaning concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: meaning
discusses public health concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: public health
discusses isolation concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: isolation
discusses togetherness concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: togetherness
discusses personal growth concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: personal growth

persons 8

mentioned Vivek Murthy person

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Feed author/publisher: Vivek Murthy
mentioned Staying Human person

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Feed author/publisher: Staying Human
hosted by Vivek Murthy person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Vivek Murthy
hosted by Staying Human person

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Feed author/publisher: Staying Human
mentioned Mental Health person

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Feed category: mental health
mentioned Purpose person

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Feed category: purpose
discusses Mental Health person

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Feed category: mental health
discusses Purpose person

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Feed category: purpose

websites 8

mentioned Medicine website

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mentioned Happiness website

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Feed category: happiness
mentioned Community website

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Feed category: community
mentioned Inspiration website

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: inspiration
discusses Medicine website

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: medicine
discusses Happiness website

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: happiness
discusses Community website

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discusses Inspiration website

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books 2

mentioned Loneliness book

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discusses Loneliness book

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Feed category: loneliness

Episode description as stored

What makes a good life? Is it accomplishment and wealth? Meaning and purpose? Relationships? This is the question Dr. Robert Waldinger, a Harvard psychiatrist, has spent decades exploring as the fourth director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development – the world's longest-running study of adult life and happiness – following hundreds of people since 1938 and still running today. Robert is co-author, with Marc Schulz, of bestselling book The Good Life . He is also a Zen Buddhist priest whose spiritual journey has shaped how he thinks about thriving. In this episode, Vivek and Robert talk about what the data reveal about happiness (spoiler alert: it has little to do with achievement or status). They discuss "social fitness" and the need to tend to relationships the way we tend to our physical health, along with surprising insights about marriage and loneliness, and why attention is "the most basic form of love." Robert also shares how his Zen practice has helped him hold onto hope without looking away from the world's hardest problems. And what medicine could learn from all of this about caring for patients, and for each other. If you're wondering what the research says about a good life, this episode is for you.