Difference between revisions of "Grant Study"
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| − | + | The [[Grant Study]] is a 75-year [[longitudinal study]] that followed 268 Harvard educated men, the majority of whom were members of the undergraduate classes of 1942, 1943 and 1944.<ref>https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy/307439/</ref> |
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| − | The study, its methodology and results are described in three books by a principal investigator in the study, |
+ | The study, its methodology and results are described in three books by a principal investigator in the study, George Vaillant. The first book describes the study up to a time when the men were 47 years of age, and the second book to when they were were eighty. In 2012, Vaillant and Harvard University Press published ''Triumphs of Experience'', sharing more findings from the Grant Study.<ref>http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674059825</ref> |
| ⚫ | The study is unique because of the high social status of the participants. Among the most notable Grant Study participants included Ben Bradlee, an editor of ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and US President John F. Kennedy.<ref>https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy/307439/</ref><ref>https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy/307439/</ref> |
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| − | The study is part of [[The Study of Adult Development]], which is now under the direction of [[Robert J. Waldinger|Dr. Robert J. Waldinger]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/|title=Harvard Second Generation Study|website=Harvard Second Generation Study}}{{better source|date=February 2019}}</ref> at [[Massachusetts General Hospital]]. |
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| + | Along with the [[Glueck Study]] this study comprises the Study of Adult Development at Harvard Medical School. |
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| ⚫ | The study is unique |
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| − | == Main |
+ | == Main Results == |
| ⚫ | |||
| − | * [[Alcoholism]] is a disorder of great destructive power. |
||
| − | ** Alcoholism was the main cause of divorce between the Grant Study men and their wives. |
||
| − | ** Strongly correlates with neurosis and depression, which tended to follow alcohol abuse, rather than precede it. |
||
| − | ** Together with associated cigarette smoking, was the single greatest contributor to their early morbidity and death. |
||
| − | * Financial success depends on warmth of relationships and, above a certain level, not on intelligence. |
||
| − | ** Those who scored highest on measurements of "warm relationships" earned an average of $141,000 a year more at their peak salaries (usually between ages 55 and 60). |
||
| − | ** No significant difference in maximum income earned by men with IQs in the 110–115 range and men with IQs higher than 150. |
||
| − | * Political mindedness correlates with intimacy: Aging liberals have more sex. |
||
| − | ** The most-conservative men ceased sexual relations at an average age of 68. |
||
| − | ** The most-liberal men had active sex lives into their 80s. |
||
| − | * The '''warmth of childhood relationship with mothers''' matters long into adulthood: |
||
| − | ** Men who had "warm" childhood relationships with their mothers earned an average of $87,000 more a year than men whose mothers were uncaring. |
||
| − | ** Men who had poor childhood relationships with their mothers were much more likely to develop dementia when old. |
||
| − | ** Late in their professional lives, the men's boyhood relationships with their mothers—but not with their fathers—were associated with effectiveness at work. |
||
| − | ** The warmth of childhood relationships with mothers had no significant bearing on "life satisfaction" at 75. |
||
| − | * The '''warmth of childhood relationship with fathers''' correlated with: |
||
| − | ** Lower rates of adult anxiety. |
||
| − | ** Greater enjoyment of vacations. |
||
| − | ** Increased "life satisfaction" at age 75. |
||
| − | |||
| − | According to ''[[The Atlantic]]'', George Vaillant's main conclusion is that the warmth of relationships throughout life has the greatest positive impact on life satisfaction. Put differently, Vaillant says the study shows: "Happiness is love. Full stop."<ref name="Stossel 2013">{{cite news|last1=Stossel |first1=Scott |title=What Makes Us Happy, Revisited |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/05/thanks-mom/309287|access-date=24 August 2022 |work=The Atlantic |date=May 2013}}</ref> |
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| − | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | {{Reflist}} |
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| − | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | *[https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness/transcript?language=en Robert Waldinger's TED Talk] discussing the study's findings'''The Grant Study''' is part of the Study of Adult Development at [[Harvard Medical School]]. It is a 75-year longitudinal study that followed 268 Harvard educated men, the majority of whom were members of the undergraduate classes of 1942, 1943 and 1944.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy/307439/|title=What Makes Us Happy?|first=Joshua Wolf|last=Shenk|date=1 June 2009|publisher=|via=The Atlantic}}</ref> It has run in tandem with a study called "[[Sheldon Glueck|The Glueck Study]]," which included a second cohort of 456 disadvantaged non-delinquent inner-city youths who grew up in Boston neighborhoods between 1940 and 1945.<ref>[[George Eman Vaillant|Vaillant, G.]], Mukamal K. Successful Aging. ''American Journal of Psychiatry'', 2001: 158:839–847</ref> The subjects were all male and of American nationality. The men continue to be studied to this day. The men were evaluated at least every two years by questionnaires, information from their physicians, and in many cases by personal interviews. Information was gathered about their mental and physical health, career enjoyment, retirement experience and marital quality. The goal of the study was to identify predictors of healthy aging. |
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| − | |||
| − | The study, its methodology and results are described in three books by a principal investigator in the study, [[George Eman Vaillant|George Vaillant]]. The first book<ref>[[George Eman Vaillant|Vaillant, George E.]] ''Adaptation to Life'', 1977</ref> describes the study up to a time when the men were 47 years of age, and the second book<ref>[[George Eman Vaillant|Vaillant, George E.]] ''Aging Well'', 2002</ref> to when the inner-city men were 70 years old and the Harvard group were eighty. In 2012, Vaillant and [[Harvard University Press]] published ''Triumphs of Experience'', sharing more findings from the Grant Study.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674059825|title=Search Results - Harvard University Press|website=www.hup.harvard.edu}}</ref> |
||
| − | |||
| − | The study is part of [[The Study of Adult Development]], which is now under the direction of [[Robert J. Waldinger|Dr. Robert J. Waldinger]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/|title=Harvard Second Generation Study|website=Harvard Second Generation Study}}{{better source|date=February 2019}}</ref> at [[Massachusetts General Hospital]]. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | The study is unique partly because of the long time span of the cohort, and also partly because of the high social status of some of the study participants. Among the most notable Grant Study participants included [[Ben Bradlee]], an editor of ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and US President [[John F. Kennedy]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Shenk |first=Joshua Wolf |date=1 June 2009 |title=What Makes Us Happy? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy/307439/ |publisher= |via=The Atlantic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shenk |first=Joshua Wolf |date=2009-06-01 |title=What Makes Us Happy? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy/307439/ |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> |
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| − | == Main results== |
||
| − | George Vaillant, who directed the study for more than three decades, has published<ref>{{Cite book|isbn = 978-0674059825|title = Triumphs of Experience|last1 = Vaillant|first1 = George E.|date = 30 October 2012}}</ref> a summation of the key insights the study has yielded: |
||
* [[Alcoholism]] is a disorder of great destructive power. |
* [[Alcoholism]] is a disorder of great destructive power. |
||
** Alcoholism was the main cause of divorce between the Grant Study men and their wives. |
** Alcoholism was the main cause of divorce between the Grant Study men and their wives. |
||
| Line 56: | Line 21: | ||
** The most-conservative men ceased sexual relations at an average age of 68. |
** The most-conservative men ceased sexual relations at an average age of 68. |
||
** The most-liberal men had active sex lives into their 80s. |
** The most-liberal men had active sex lives into their 80s. |
||
| − | * The |
+ | * The warmth of childhood relationship with mothers matters long into adulthood: |
** Men who had "warm" childhood relationships with their mothers earned an average of $87,000 more a year than men whose mothers were uncaring. |
** Men who had "warm" childhood relationships with their mothers earned an average of $87,000 more a year than men whose mothers were uncaring. |
||
** Men who had poor childhood relationships with their mothers were much more likely to develop dementia when old. |
** Men who had poor childhood relationships with their mothers were much more likely to develop dementia when old. |
||
** Late in their professional lives, the men's boyhood relationships with their mothers—but not with their fathers—were associated with effectiveness at work. |
** Late in their professional lives, the men's boyhood relationships with their mothers—but not with their fathers—were associated with effectiveness at work. |
||
** The warmth of childhood relationships with mothers had no significant bearing on "life satisfaction" at 75. |
** The warmth of childhood relationships with mothers had no significant bearing on "life satisfaction" at 75. |
||
| − | * The |
+ | * The warmth of childhood relationship with fathers correlated with: |
** Lower rates of adult anxiety. |
** Lower rates of adult anxiety. |
||
** Greater enjoyment of vacations. |
** Greater enjoyment of vacations. |
||
** Increased "life satisfaction" at age 75. |
** Increased "life satisfaction" at age 75. |
||
| − | According to ''[[The Atlantic]]'', George Vaillant's main conclusion is that the warmth of relationships throughout life has the greatest positive impact on life satisfaction. Put differently, Vaillant says the study shows: "Happiness is love. Full stop."<ref |
+ | According to ''[[The Atlantic]]'', George Vaillant's main conclusion is that the warmth of relationships throughout life has the greatest positive impact on life satisfaction. Put differently, Vaillant says the study shows: "Happiness is love. Full stop."<ref>https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/05/thanks-mom/309287</ref> |
| − | == |
+ | == See Also == |
| − | {{Reflist}} |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | ==External links== |
||
| + | *[[Longitudinal studies]] |
||
| − | * [https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200906/happiness Article about the study] in ''[[The Atlantic]]'' |
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| + | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
*[https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness/transcript?language=en Robert Waldinger's TED Talk] discussing the study's findings |
*[https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness/transcript?language=en Robert Waldinger's TED Talk] discussing the study's findings |
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| + | {{wikipedia}} |
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| − | == See Also == |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | |||
| + | [[Category: Featured Articles]] |
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| + | [[Category: Research]] |
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| + | [[Category: Science]] |
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| + | [[Category: Wikipedia]] |
||
Latest revision as of 10:31, 4 December 2022
The Grant Study is a 75-year longitudinal study that followed 268 Harvard educated men, the majority of whom were members of the undergraduate classes of 1942, 1943 and 1944.[1]
The study, its methodology and results are described in three books by a principal investigator in the study, George Vaillant. The first book describes the study up to a time when the men were 47 years of age, and the second book to when they were were eighty. In 2012, Vaillant and Harvard University Press published Triumphs of Experience, sharing more findings from the Grant Study.[2]
The study is unique because of the high social status of the participants. Among the most notable Grant Study participants included Ben Bradlee, an editor of The Washington Post, and US President John F. Kennedy.[3][4]
Along with the Glueck Study this study comprises the Study of Adult Development at Harvard Medical School.
Main Results
George Vaillant, who directed the study for more than three decades, has published a summation of the key insights the study has yielded:
- Alcoholism is a disorder of great destructive power.
- Alcoholism was the main cause of divorce between the Grant Study men and their wives.
- Strongly correlates with neurosis and depression, which tended to follow alcohol abuse, rather than precede it.
- Together with associated cigarette smoking, was the single greatest contributor to their early morbidity and death.
- Financial success depends on warmth of relationships and, above a certain level, not on intelligence.
- Those who scored highest on measurements of "warm relationships" earned an average of $141,000 a year more at their peak salaries (usually between ages 55 and 60).
- No significant difference in maximum income earned by men with IQs in the 110–115 range and men with IQs higher than 150.
- Political mindedness correlates with intimacy: Aging liberals have more sex.
- The most-conservative men ceased sexual relations at an average age of 68.
- The most-liberal men had active sex lives into their 80s.
- The warmth of childhood relationship with mothers matters long into adulthood:
- Men who had "warm" childhood relationships with their mothers earned an average of $87,000 more a year than men whose mothers were uncaring.
- Men who had poor childhood relationships with their mothers were much more likely to develop dementia when old.
- Late in their professional lives, the men's boyhood relationships with their mothers—but not with their fathers—were associated with effectiveness at work.
- The warmth of childhood relationships with mothers had no significant bearing on "life satisfaction" at 75.
- The warmth of childhood relationship with fathers correlated with:
- Lower rates of adult anxiety.
- Greater enjoyment of vacations.
- Increased "life satisfaction" at age 75.
According to The Atlantic, George Vaillant's main conclusion is that the warmth of relationships throughout life has the greatest positive impact on life satisfaction. Put differently, Vaillant says the study shows: "Happiness is love. Full stop."[5]
See Also
External Links
- Article about the study in The Atlantic.
- Robert Waldinger's TED Talk discussing the study's findings
This article contains information imported from the English Wikipedia. In most cases the page history will have details. If you need information on the importation and have difficulty obtaining it please contact the site administrators. Wikipedia shows a strong woke bias. Text copied over from Wikipedia can be corrected and improved.
References
- ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy/307439/
- ↑ http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674059825
- ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy/307439/
- ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy/307439/
- ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/05/thanks-mom/309287