Robert Waldinger

Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, Zen priest

Robert Waldinger is the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies in history.

Why you should listen

Robert Waldinger, MD, is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and Zen priest. He is Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where he directs the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study of happiness ever conducted. Dr. Waldinger is the author of The Good Life, which examines the central role of relationships in shaping our health and well-being. His TEDx talk on this subject has received nearly 44 million views. Waldinger's book, The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness, shows us how we can make our lives happier and more meaningful through our connections to others

Robert Waldinger’s TED talks

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Robert Waldinger

What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness

Posted Dec 2015

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Robert Waldinger

The secret to a happy life — lessons from 8 decades of research

Posted Jan 2023

More news and ideas from Robert Waldinger

Science

How to add new life to your relationships (even your best ones!)

January 24, 2023

Want lasting happiness? Invest in your connections to other people, suggest Robert Waldinger MD and Marc Schulz PhD, codirectors of the longest-running scientific study on well-being. Here, they share four strategies to re-energize your bonds.

We humans

4 lessons from the longest-running study on happiness

April 12, 2017

Essential, data-derived advice for leading a happy, healthy life, shared by psychiatrist Robert Waldinger.

We humans

Why it’s so tempting to build walls and shut people out (and what to do instead)

September 15, 2016

Why do humans often want to create a world of "us" vs. "them"? And what can we do about this unhelpful, often damaging, yet somehow reassuring instinct? Psychologist Robert Waldinger has some useful advice.