Staying Connected

One of the biggest regrets among those who are dying is not staying in closer contact with the important people in their lives. Yup, life gets busy and people slide off our lists! Damn, right?

Some of us think the reason we choose to stay out of reach is because it’s in our natures. But research indicates that connecting can make you happier right now, even if you’re an introvert. Several studies show that the time we spend with friends and family makes a difference to how happy we feel.

According to Daniel Gilbert a professor of psychology at Harvard University and author of Stumbling on Happiness:

We are happy when we have family, we are happy when we have friends and almost all the other things we think make us happy are actually just ways of getting more family and friends.

George Vaillant also of Harvard University is the director of a 75-year longitudinal study of 268 men, the point of which was to identify predictors of healthy aging. He’s been quoted as saying, “…that the only things that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.”

While the old idea that more money will make you happier seems to still have a firm foothold in our psyches, changes in income buy very little happiness. Money definitely doesn’t make us as happy as increasing the strength of our relationships.

Those of us with people to count on when we’re going through times are generally healthier. And while you might think that those folks who feel loved and cared for live would live longest, you’d be wrong. It is the people who help their friends and neighbors, advising and caring for others, who tend to live the longest.

This week, reach out and connect with the people you love whom you just never see. Make time for visiting. And if anyone needs a little help, give it. You’ll be happier for it.