Robert Waldinger

Robert Waldinger trained and practices as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst and holds a faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School; he is also Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital in clinical and research roles. His professional work combines clinical practice with long-term empirical research on adult development and well-being. Waldinger is the fourth director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which began in 1938 and has followed two cohorts across decades to identify predictors of healthy, meaningful lives; under his stewardship, the Study has continued its multigenerational tracking and translation of findings for public audiences. He and his colleagues have emphasized that social connections and relationship quality are among the clearest predictors of health and happiness across the lifespan. Beyond academic publications, Waldinger has focused strongly on public communication and applied guidance: his TED Talk “What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness” is among TED’s most-viewed talks and has helped bring the Study’s findings to broad audiences; he is co-author of The Good Life, a New York Times bestseller that synthesizes study findings into accessible advice. He also teaches meditation as a Zen priest (roshi), integrating contemplative practice with his clinical and research work. Waldinger regularly gives public talks, appears in media interviews, and collaborates on outreach projects translating the Study’s data into practical 'social fitness' recommendations. He remains an active clinician, educator, and public scholar, maintaining clinical work alongside research and public engagement.