How To Live Life More Fully

Happiness experts and palliative-care doctors share their strategies

- Lisa Fields

When John Helliwell married his wife, Millie, 52 years ago, the two were already incredibly close. “She may have been my best friend then, though it wasn’t something I thought about,” Helliwell says about their courtship, which gave way to a joyful and rewarding partnership that’s still going strong.

Decades into his marriage, Helliwell, a professor emeritus of economics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, not only started to think about happiness more, but to take a professional interest in the factors that influence our well-being.

In 2017, Helliwell’s research confirmed that marriage increases happiness, and people who think of their spouses as their best friends experience twice as much happiness as other married people. Because Helliwell considers Millie his closest friend, it follows that their relationship boosted his happiness throughout the past half-century.

Helliwell isn’t the only academic to glean meaningful lessons from his own findings to live life more fully. Research also shows that happiness isn’t just about a fulfilling marriage.

Reader’s Digest spoke with several happiness experts to see what they’ve applied from their work to lead more satisfying lives. Palliative-care physicians also shared insights they gained through helping patients plan for the future, bolstering important relationships, and appreciating each day—before it’s too late. Here is some of their advice to incorporate into your own life.

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