PRESIDENT'S CORNER - June 3, 2016

Here’s a very interesting item that we saw on CBS the other day…I will paraphrase: In 1938, the Harvard Study of Adult Development began following two groups of young men - some from inner-city Boston and others who studied at Harvard, including President John F. Kennedy and Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee. What began as a study about adult development transformed into a 75-year examination of what keeps men happy and healthy.

"What we realized was that we had an amazing resource - we could look at their health, relationships their work lives - and all of that added up show how happy they were in their lives," said Dr. Robert Waldinger, the fourth director of the study. "And so we started looking at the whole package."

The researchers followed 724 men, conducting questionnaires every two years, interviews at different intervals and collecting health information every five years. They looked at everything from their personalities, to drinking habits, and even skull shape and size.

What did make all the difference were the men's relationships with others.

"Our men found that good, close relationships predicted not only that they would stay happier, but that they would stay physically healthier," Waldinger said.

The study found men who are lonely were less happy, experienced an earlier decline in health and brain function and lived shorter lives. The health benefits of affectionate relationships with family, friends and community were "as important" as avoiding cigarettes and excessive alcohol.

Waldinger - who is also a Zen Buddhist priest - said giving people your "full, undivided attention is probably the most valuable thing you have to offer" and key to being happy and healthy.

"Simply watch what you are doing each day and who you are with and (see) if you can pay more and more careful attention to the people you're with," Johnson advised. "Put aside all your preconceptions and just be there with somebody. It'll make a huge difference." (CBS News, May 27, 2016)

On the CBS Morning Show, Charlie Rose asked if women were included in the study.  Not as it was originally planned but there are plans to extend the study to include children and women. It seems to me that this is a valuable lesson for all of us.  From my OLLI perspective, I think we are all doing a very healthy thing, indeed, by taking classes, interacting with others in and outside of class, socializing and participating in whatever way works best for you. Am I getting to be a broken record about this topic? I hope so.

If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time—a tremendous whack. [Statesman Sir Winston Churchill]

While people keep waiting and waiting for something big to happen in life, the “now” is passing them by. Do you know how fast a “now” passes? At the rate of 186,000 miles per second, the speed of light. So no matter how much you love and enjoy a particular “now,” that’s how fast it becomes a “was”…That’s why I never use the word “if” anymore. An “if” is a “never was.” [Comedian Sid Caesar]

Enjoy your weekend!

Jim Held, President