A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life • Hacker News Board

Re: A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life

#31

Post by JDDunn9 » Fri, May 17, 2013, 2:00 AM UTC

jckt wrote: post #21

JDDunn9 wrote: post #14

These are the kind of studies that make me think social-psychology is just a psuedo-science. If you want to understand human-nature, read Shakespeare over Freud. If you want to influence people, read Dale Carnegie over B.F. Skinner. I'll gladly eat crow if this study results in a 6% increase in loving relationships or a 5% decrease in alcoholism...

Not actively disagreeing, but would you care to elaborate on why you think social-psychology is a psuedo-science?

In his book (http://www.amazon.com/Statistical-Models-Causal-Inference-Di...) Professor Freedman says one of the reasons the social sciences have had virtually no beneficial impact on society (as opposed to the incredible progress in the hard sciences) is that their "studies" have unsupported mathematics. They make too many assumptions, and their methodologies don't support their conclusions. For example, you can do a study on the top reasons teens use drugs, and in a decade those reasons have completely changed because of the shift in culture.

The social sciences don't work well with the scientific method. You can't randomly select people, and you can't get them to make long-term changes to their lifestyle. Without experimental evidence, you are left with observational data, which is a nightmare to find causation instead of just correlation.

Re: A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life

#32

Post by zalzane » Fri, May 17, 2013, 2:05 AM UTC

I hate it when these things pop up because they turn problems into self-fulling prophecies.

I hate being around my mother. I've never had a relationship with a girl in my entire life. I drown my sorrows into a mug of beer every friday. I barely get by as is - and have to work my ass off harder than everyone around me to get anything done.

And now I come across this article that says it's likely I'll make 6 figs less than some other guy because of these variables that are hopelessly outside of my control. How fucking depressing.

Re: A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life

#33

Post by caublestone » Fri, May 17, 2013, 2:07 AM UTC

Amadou wrote: post #27

caublestone wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just had a couple stay at my place from Airbnb. They were both under 5'5. I don't have anything beyond this anecdote, but this alone must prove that someone is out there!

Sure there are exceptions, but as a rule, he's right. I'm slightly taller than average, but even I have noticed this phenomenon. It is ridiculous how many single women say they exclusively want a tall man, they want to "look up" to a man. Even the shorter-than-average women want a man of at least average height. On dating sites like PlentyOfFish I've seen ~5' tall women say that they are only interested in men at lea…

Ok here is another one:

I am 6'2 weigh 190 and I haven't had a significant other in 2 years. Seriously, it's confidence and understanding what your standards should be. I know that seems patronizing and an over simplification but these rules seem to hold true across couples. The greater exception that we like to notice more often is "How did that guy/girl get that guy/girl".

I don't doubt that women on a dating site say those things in majority. But there is a strong minority that don't look for those things.

Re: A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life

#34

Post by magwildwood » Fri, May 17, 2013, 2:09 AM UTC

singular wrote: post #15

Ack. Reliable or not, I'm sure it was meant as a feel-good piece, but for people like me the quote:- "Vaillant’s key takeaway, in his own words: “The seventy-five years and twenty million dollars expended on the Grant Study points … to a straightforward five-word conclusion: ‘Happiness is love. Full stop.’" Is actually very depressing. I am 5'5" so have this (if you've not encountered it you are unlikely to be aware)…

Some of it may be attitude. Others can read insecurity, which can be a big barrier to establishing solid relationships. I think it's true that many women have a bias against shorter men, but after getting to know someone can see that it was a shallow prejudgment. I can admit to stating a preference for men over six feet, but have dated men not even an inch taller than my 5'6" self. In the end, other things mattered much more than one uncontrollable characteristic.

Re: A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life

#35

Post by drumdance » Fri, May 17, 2013, 2:09 AM UTC

JDDunn9 wrote: post #12

nostromo wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's useful to parents.

Because bad parents will become more nurturing after reading an article?

More like so-so parents might try to become better parents. It's a continuum. There's a whole cottage industry around how to be a better parent. Presumably a lot of parents are buying those products.

Re: A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life

#36

Post by ricardobeat » Fri, May 17, 2013, 2:12 AM UTC

hzay wrote: post #9

The title really has to be changed to "A 75-Year Harvard Study on Men Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life". I clicked and was disappointed.

I wonder why limit the study to men. Weren't women allowed in Harvard in 1938?

Re: A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life

#37

Post by drumdance » Fri, May 17, 2013, 2:12 AM UTC

Amadou wrote: post #27

caublestone wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just had a couple stay at my place from Airbnb. They were both under 5'5. I don't have anything beyond this anecdote, but this alone must prove that someone is out there!

Sure there are exceptions, but as a rule, he's right. I'm slightly taller than average, but even I have noticed this phenomenon. It is ridiculous how many single women say they exclusively want a tall man, they want to "look up" to a man. Even the shorter-than-average women want a man of at least average height. On dating sites like PlentyOfFish I've seen ~5' tall women say that they are only interested in men at lea…

Read The Game. I've met Neil Strauss in real life and he's 5'6" on a good day. His fiance is beautiful, smart and taller (plus, she likes to wear heels).

Re: A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life

#38

Post by drumdance » Fri, May 17, 2013, 2:14 AM UTC

vlasev wrote: post #24

If you really want to know what it takes to live a happy life, read the book Flow [1] by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It's the best book I've ever read on happiness and reading it has positively changed my life like nothing else. [1] http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Mihaly-Csik...

I love this book and it likewise had a great effect on my life. That said, it's mostly affected me in career choices. It doesn't have much to say about relationships.

Re: A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life

#39

Post by auctiontheory » Fri, May 17, 2013, 2:14 AM UTC

JDDunn9 wrote: post #31

jckt wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not actively disagreeing, but would you care to elaborate on why you think social-psychology is a psuedo-science?

In his book ( http://www.amazon.com/Statistical-Models-Causal-Inference-Di... ) Professor Freedman says one of the reasons the social sciences have had virtually no beneficial impact on society (as opposed to the incredible progress in the hard sciences) is that their "studies" have unsupported mathematics. They make too many assumptions, and their methodologies don't support their conclusions. For example, you can d…

You are conflating multiple issues here: whether social science studies are valid, whether the effects of social science are beneficial to society, whether passing some "scientific method test" is a requirement for an approach to be "good."

To take one example (of many), all of consumer marketing is an outgrowth of social science - nowadays consumer marketing, behavioral psychology, and behavioral economics are overlapping fields which happen to go by different names.

We might debate whether marketing has been "beneficial," but I don't think you can reasonably argue that all marketing doesn't work just because the math behind it isn't as rigorous as quantum mechanics. (Not that we completely understand quantum mechanics.)

Re: A 75-Year Harvard Study Finds What It Takes To Live A Happy Life

#40

Post by insickness » Fri, May 17, 2013, 2:21 AM UTC

Amadou wrote: post #23

JDDunn9 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because bad parents will become more nurturing after reading an article?

Sorry, I don't have a link for you, but I've recently read that one of the problems that many parents who live in poverty have is that they simply do not know what is necessary to be a good parent. The specific example was with respect to talking to infants - that talking to children who do not yet have the power of speech makes an enormous difference in the development of verbal and cognitive ability. Rich infants h…

I'd like to see your data on this and whether the studies they did corrected for genetics. A lot of these studies like where parents talked to their kids more and the kids ended up being smarter ended up being proven false because there was no 'control' in these groups, children who were adopted, etc. Check out Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate. This talk sums it up pretty well:

http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_chalks_it_up_to_the_b...