Harvard, happiness and Cornell
“The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.” (a) These words, from Dr. Robert Waldinger of the Harvard Medical School, culminated one of the longest studies on adult human development. Dr. Waldinger maintained that his research (b) indicated that the more socially connected people were to family, friends, and community, the better their quality of life and the longer they lived.
The implications of this research on social networks are far-reaching and are potentially life-changing if strategically applied. For instance, a fair understanding of the Strong Triadic Closure property as it relates to this research could give a discerning, or perhaps even a shy, young person an incentive to form strong ties with good friends as early as possible since eventually the Strong Triadic Closure property is bound to “close the gap” between the discerning or shy young person and their good friend’s friend thus creating an extra friend, more memories, more happiness, and an overall better life for all three parties. If, on the other hand, two young people do not strengthen the weak tie between them, neither enjoys the full benefit of the other’s company and a third person is never really introduced into the equation. Thus, the three are somewhat worse off, more prone to depression, and regrets than they would have been had they put more effort into their strengthening their friendship. Of course, these examples may be considered an oversimplification because an “extra” friend does not always lead to good results. However, they serve to illustrate Dr. Waldinger’s research findings.
At a place like Cornell University, I have found that it is relatively easy to build a wide network because most people I have met are welcoming and are seeking to expand their social networks as well. They seem to have an innate understanding of the idea of networks and thus eschew isolation, which is why I believe the following model best suits Cornellians. That is, simply make an acquaintance a day. The student that follows this model will most likely end up with over 800 ties over the course of 4 academic years. 800 ties with renowned professors and bright, talented, young people! Even if these ties are weak, they are likely to propel one to greater heights as discussed in class due to the strength of weak ties.
Works cited
(a) Waldinger, Robert. “Transcript of ‘What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness.’” Robert Waldinger: What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness | TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript | TED, Nov. 2015,
(b) Alvin Powell, Harvard Staff Writer |, et al. “Over Nearly 80 Years, Harvard Study Has Been Showing How to Live a Healthy and Happy Life.” Harvard Gazette, 14 Apr. 2017, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/.