The Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief

5 Lessons from a World-renowned Happiness Expert…

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear. Knowing what must be done does away with fear.”-Rosa Parks

Welcome back or welcome to, the Lawyer’s Well-being Brief. Every week, I share insights and tools to help us improve our well-being. This week we look at five lessons from Dr. Robert Waldinger.

About Dr. Robert Waldinger

Robert J. Waldinger is an American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and Zen priest. He is a part-time professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and directs the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies of adult life ever conducted.

So What?

As noted above, Waldinger is the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which is the longest-running study on adult life, health, and happiness in the world. It tracked the lives of 700+ original participants and 1,300+ descendants over 85 years. His Ted Talk has been viewed nearly 50 million times and his book, The Good Life, was an instant New York Times best-seller.

Why Should We Care

Using rigorous scientific methods, Waldinger has examined what really makes us thrive. Tracking 724 families…