Book review on : <Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life> by George Vaillant. (<행복의 조건> 조지 베일런트)

“What makes us happy?”
To explore this question, the book presents the findings of a 72-year study that followed the lives of 268 Harvard sophomores who entered college in the late 1930s.
In addition to the Harvard graduates, the book also draws on the 'Terman Study', which followed a group of highly intelligent women, and the 'Inner City Study', a group of men from disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Over the course of their lives, the participants went through World War II, marriage and divorce, professional success and failure, and eventually became parents and grandparents.

The book presents several important factors related to happiness, including 'mature defense mechanisms', 'resilience', 'love and relationships', and 'health'.
In particular, the author emphasizes the importance of developing mature defense mechanisms, the ability to cope with life’s pain and adversity in constructive ways, and through them, building greater resilience.

What I found especially interesting while reading was that all of these factors ultimately seem to flourish on the foundation of love and meaningful relationships.
Many of the life stories in the book suggest that external factors such as money, fame, and professional success are not, by themselves, essential conditions for happiness.
Instead, the author suggests that happiness and a fulfilling life depend greatly on our capacity for love and close relationships with others.
We cannot truly be happy entirely on our own.

We often have vague expectations such as, “If I have enough money, I will be happy,” or “If I become successful, I will be happy.”
However, the book shows through real life evidence just how unreliable those assumptions can be.
Instead, it suggests that genuine happiness comes from forming deep bonds with others, and growing together while supporting one another within those relationships.

After reading this book, I found myself reconsidering my own definition of happiness and asking myself a question :
"Am I truly living a happy life right now?"
My conclusion after reading the book is that many of the conditions for happiness ultimately lie within ourselves.
Rather than constantly trying to change other people or circumstances that may be beyond our control, perhaps a better way to pursue happiness is to focus our attention inward,
put our efforts into the things we can actually change, and, most importantly, build close relationships with the people around us.