Keys to Happiness

At Whole Man Health, our first quadrant is THE HEART.  It represents the place where we feel, the place where we love, the place where we connect with others.  We encourage men to be purposeful about the relationships they have with their wives, kids, and friends.  And while we point to a few key metrics in our health assessment that are the biggest harbingers of longevity (VO2 max and axial lean muscle mass), there is another metric that is the biggest predictor of one’s happiness and well-being.  What is it?  The quality of one’s relationships.

There is an incredible study ongoing at Harvard that has followed men for over 85 years and has studied various aspects of their lives that have made them happy and healthy. It's one of the longest-running studies in the world. The original cohort consisted of 724 young men who were teenagers in 1938; approximately 20 men in their 90s are left. Interestingly, John F. Kennedy was a part of the study. You can read about the study on the Harvard website.  However, here are some highlights that are very germane to the Whole Man Health cohort:

1. Those who were happiest at age 50, based on the quality of their relationships with their wives, kids, and friends, were the healthiest in the group at age 80.
2. Long-lasting marriages were protective against physical and emotional pain when dealing with medical diagnoses.  
3. One of the more recent directors of the study published a book on the results of the study called Aging Well. In it, he cited 6 things men can do to live longer and happier lives.  What are they?  Consistent physical activity, absence of alcohol and smoking abuse, having mature mechanisms to deal with life’s ups and downs, a stable marriage, and being at a healthy weight.

So, as we go on our executive coaching and training journey together, we want to make sure we are encouraging our men to be intentional in building strong marriages, stable families, and meaningful friendships.  Just as we are asking you to flex various muscles in the gym, we want you to flex your relational muscles of the heart!  This week, why don’t you consider one or all of the following:

• Take your wife on a date.
• Schedule a Zoom call with your adult kids and your wife, give updates, and spend time together laughing and loving each other.
• Invite someone over or out to dinner whom you know but not very well, and build a new friendship.

Go get ‘em, boys!