Well-being in the United States

Pinpointed factors responsible for well-being among middle- and upper-middle-class American adults and how to effect change. 

Paid for by:  National Institute on Aging and The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

“A must-read for anyone who wants to deeply understand psychological well-being.”

ED DIENER, pioneering scientist and world’s foremost expert on happiness

Carried out a rare half-century longitudinal study, following a cohort of adolescents until they reached sixty years old.

Key Findings

  • Three competencies that predict long-term well-being:  pursuing one’s own fundamental long-term goals; coping with major setbacks; engaging in mutually rewarding relationships.  

  • The finding that wealth, status and educational attainment add little to well-being.  

  • The finding that for most people a fulfilling career takes a back seat to close relationships in shaping well-being.

  • An account of how people undergo significant change in their well-being.

  • The discovery that formative experiences during childhood (ages 0-18) establish long-term patterns of behavior and experience that continue for most people throughout adulthood. 

  • Published research shows broad support for these key findings among diverse groups of middle-class and upper-middle-class Americans.

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