The 5–3–1 Rule Is the Secret to Maintaining Your Social Health, According to a Harvard-Trained Social Scientist
If you’re the type of person who is keen on maintaining your health over the long haul, you probably pay attention to your physical health. Maybe you walk 10,000 steps a day and aim for a healthy diet. You’re likely aware of your mental health too. Perhaps you consciously try to reduce your stress levels. Like lots of folks, you may see a therapist.
But according to the longest-running study of human flourishing ever conducted, you’re still likely missing a whole other component to overall well-being: social health and fitness.
The 3 kinds of fitness you should be aware of
The Harvard Study of Adult Development has been minutely tracking the lives of some 724 original participants (and now some of their descendants) since 1938. What’s been one of its biggest takeaways?
The biggest predictor of health and happiness in life isn’t something like cholesterol level or blood pressure. It was the strength of a person’s relationships. Social fitness, one of the study’s directors told The Harvard Gazette, is just like physical fitness. You need to work at it.
