Big question for you: What's the good life? A lot of good answers out there, so I had to overcome some massive imposter sirens when I chose the title of this newsletter.
But this made it easier: what I'm sharing below is not my opinion/philosophy. It's based on a 84-year longitudinal study by Harvard University.
The result in a nutshell, the key to the 'good life':
"Good relationships are significant enough that if we had to take all eighty-four years of the Harvard Study and boil it down to a single principle for living, one life investment that is supported by similar findings across a wide variety of other studies, it would be this: Good relationships keep us healthier and happier. Period." (Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz. 2023. The Good Life, p. 10)
Good relationships --> healthy & happy life.
What's the link to politics & personal development?
Community is direly needed, and politics is one answer. We are social beings and loneliness is a real threat to our mental and physical well-being. Community and a sense of contributing are the antidote. Many ways how to do this, politics is one. When I was campaigning, I was struck by how much people wanted to be heard and given a chance to contribute, to make a difference. And democratic politics is at its best when it invites people to do just that: share and make a difference.
What question is driving you: 'what can I do for myself?' or 'what can I do for others?'. Expanding our concern from ourselves to others is called 'generativity' in psychology and is a key source of happiness, especially in midlife. Not everyone in politics will focus on the second question. And even if, years ago, you did start with 'what can I do for others', what's the question now?
Pursuing goals at the cost of our relationships backfires. The quality & frequency of our contact to people are key predictors of happiness. Politics attracts highly ambitious people, and high ambitions can come at the cost of strong relationships. Every few years, the Harvard Study asked participants (some of whom were politicians: US president JFK was a participant of the study!) questions like: "Who would you turn to in a moment of crisis?", "Who knows everything (or most things) about you?", "Who makes you laugh?". Those who had good answers to these & similar questions were happier.
'The Good Life' by Harvard scholars Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz dives into the lessons of the study and gives practical advice how to improve the quality of our relationships (in the broadest sense).
One of my take-aways: not just 'how do my relationships affect my happiness' but: how can I support others: give attention/time, be generous, curious, listening. It's work in progress.
In one of the next newsletters, I might go deeper into study and the tools of 'how-to' create better relationships, with a link to the world of politics.
p.s. 👇 below, find the latest podcast, what I'm currently reading/listening to and my favourite quote this week
🎙️ My latest podcast
I'm pausing the podcast over the summer, but have some great new conversations already that I'll share in September, e.g. with a Member of the German Bundestag and a leadership development expert from the US.
The last episode:
pwteam
📚 What I read & listen to
lexteam
🖋️ My favourite quote
“One of our greatest joys (and this is not confined to therapy) comes in moments when we sense that we've understood the experience of another person and then communicated that understanding in a way that feels true to them. It's life-affirming to suddenly find oneself in sync with the experience of someone else. This is a crucial step in connecting with others through curiosity: communicating your new understanding back to them.” - The Good Life, by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz, p. 115