Here’s the advice I’d give my younger self: Prioritize meaningful relationships.

The thing that will give you the most happiness over the long term is your meaningful relationships with your spouse, your family and your friends.

Don’t believe me? There’s research to back it up. The Harvard Study of Adult Development followed men in their 20s through to the end of their lives. It’s one of the longest scientific studies of happiness.

What they discovered is that by the time the men hit their 80s, the biggest clue to who stayed healthy and happy wasn’t their cholesterol or blood pressure, it was how satisfied they’d been with their relationships in midlife. 

The quality of their marriage and friendships when they were 50 years old determined how healthy they were in their 70s and 80s.

I first came across this research while reading Build The Life You Want by Arthur Brooks. Since then, I’ve been finding ways to prioritize my friendships. 

The most effective change has been to schedule recurring calls with my friends. At first, it seemed weird to have calls with friends booked months in advance, but I realized that if I didn’t prioritize them on my calendar, they weren’t happening as often as I’d like them to.

The effort and intention we put into our relationships now is what keeps life rich and fulfilling as we get older.