Robert Waldinger

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Robert Waldinger, MD is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a practicing psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and a Zen teacher and practitioner.

For the last two decades, Waldinger has been the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. This study, conducted over more than 85 years, has analyzed the entire lives of 724 families to determine the activities, behaviors, and dynamics that enhance a person’s life-long well-being. Waldinger has dedicated his career to examining these elements and discovering what brings true fulfillment to human existence.

He is the author of several books, including his most recent, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.

Everything Videos Articles

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21 min

Members

The Big Think Interview

How accepting impermanence can end the struggle to “fix” your life

“The idea is that we move from a place of wanting the world to conform to what we like [towards] not needing other people to be different from who they are.”

Robert Waldinger

A person with long blonde hair wearing a beanie and plaid jacket looks upward outdoors; a transparent geometric square overlay is centered on the image.

3 min

Perception Box

3 experts explain how to escape the happiness paradox

Happiness researchers Robert Waldinger MD, Tal Ben-Shahar PhD, and Peter Baumann explain why the happiest people aren’t happy all the time.

Robert Waldinger

Unlikely Collaborators

1 min

Full Interview

What 85 years of research says is the real key to happiness

“We can make ourselves more likely to be happy by building a life that includes the conditions that make for happiness.”

Robert Waldinger

Digital illustration of a human brain, displaying vibrant colors transitioning from green to blue and pink, set against a gradient and black background.

26 min

The Big Think Interview

Reboot your mind for flow, unanxiousness, and resilience

“We can use neuroscience and tools from psychology to learn how to take advantage of anxiety.” From Zen Buddhism to flow state, these 3 experts explain how to hack your brain.

Steven Kotler