Dr. Rhonda Patrick: How important is it, as you move through midlife and into older adulthood, to keep thinking, learning new things, and having novel experiences? Novel experiences can support BDNF and neuroplasticity. Exercise can too. How important is that as you transition into the next stage of life?

Dr. Arthur Brooks: That is a great question. The answer comes from studies of people who end up happy and healthy. You have heard of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, also called the Grant Study. It has followed the same cohort for about 85 years. It began in the late 1930s with Harvard sophomores. That was not a representative sample. They were White men with above-average income.

Researchers later paired that cohort with men from disadvantaged Boston neighborhoods, many of whom had not completed high school. The study expanded to spouses and then children. It asks what people did if they later ended up both happy and healthy. Many participants were unhealthy or unhappy, but the people who were happy and well tended to do seven things.

Some are obvious: diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking—or substance use more broadly today. They were moderate with substances. They were not addicted, or they quit if they had a problem.

Smoking seems obvious. I smoked when I was a musician in my twenties, even though I knew it was foolish. I became addicted at 13 and quit at 26. It felt like a relationship to me. I still think about it every day. Lifelong smokers have a high chance of dying from a smoking-related illness. That is not a happy or healthy way to go.

Then there are diet and exercise. This means a normal, healthy diet and staying active. I think exercise has a curve: doing none is not good, but compulsive exercise can cause physical harm and may reflect compensation. Some people transfer one compulsive behavior into another. The practical point is moderation—walk often and stay active.

Then there are three less obvious factors. The first is continuing to learn. Lifelong learners tend to be healthier and happier. That often means reading, but curiosity is the foundation. Lifelong learning is critical.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Why do you think that is? Naturally curious people will want to learn, so there could be some reverse causation. Do you think neuroplasticity helps people adapt?

Dr. Arthur Brooks: I do. I strongly believe that psychology is biology. I also believe the mind and soul extend beyond biology, but we need to understand biology to understand much of psychology.

Neuroplasticity is important. People with an active life of the mind often do better. Even when physical neurocognitive decline occurs, learning and cognitive activity may help people function longer through stronger or more numerous connections.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Could part of the benefit be that life keeps changing, and neuroplasticity helps you adapt?

Dr. Arthur Brooks: Yes. You can adapt. Life is also more interesting when you keep learning. You begin to see everything as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Boredom matters, but we often misunderstand it. A person doing repetitive physical work in the past might have been bored from moment to moment, but they did not necessarily experience their whole life as boring. Young people today can avoid every moment of boredom through constant stimulation, yet still experience life as deeply boring.

Someone interested in real things and in life itself is less likely to be bored. They may also be happier and healthier.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick: I do not want to lose the other Harvard Study factors, but that is fascinating. Younger people can scroll constantly and never feel bored in the moment, while their lives still feel boring. Is that because they are not seeking real experiences, people, and purpose?

Dr. Arthur Brooks: A simulated life is a boring life. A real life is interesting. If dating, work, social interaction, and accomplishment all happen mainly through screens, you are living in a simulation.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick: There is also social comparison.

Dr. Arthur Brooks: Yes. There will always be someone smarter, better-looking, richer, or more powerful. Constant comparison can make you feel diminished.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick: I use social media for business, but I do not consume much of it. More consumption might help me understand what is happening, but I do not like how it makes me feel.

Dr. Arthur Brooks: It may be good for your life not to consume it. Many things could help your business but hurt your life. You could travel three times as much, for example.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick: What do you tell young people—or anyone in midlife—who gets caught in social comparison? How do they break that cycle?

Dr. Arthur Brooks: You do not necessarily need to leave every platform. Curate the experience so it is life-affirming rather than life-diminishing. Use social media to learn, laugh, and connect with people.

One of my sons uses Facebook because his friends use it to plan real activities together. That is using social media to connect. When you use it for entertainment, follow accounts that teach you something useful about science, books, art, or another interest. Follow things you genuinely find funny. Do not follow people whose curated lives make you feel bad about yourself. Take positive measures on purpose.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Young adults can also remember that they are seeing highlights, not real life. People look their best and use filters.

Dr. Arthur Brooks: It is a distortion. Studies suggest that even when people know social media is curated, they still respond as if it were real. We curate our own lives and consume curated versions of other people's lives, yet we still believe them.

Set boundaries. I recommend no more than about half an hour per day across platforms, used intentionally in one or two planned sessions.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Should people go directly to profiles that help them learn rather than letting the algorithm choose?

Dr. Arthur Brooks: If you set aside a specific half hour, you are less likely to waste it. You can deliberately check the things that enrich you instead of scrolling for hours.

The next factor is having a practiced way to deal with life's problems. You need skill at coping before difficult events occur. That could include therapy, prayer, meditation, or journaling. People who are happy and well tend to have a reliable method and become skilled at using it.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick: How did the study measure that?

Dr. Arthur Brooks: Researchers asked what people do when they are upset and how long they have used those practices. Robert Waldinger, who wrote The Good Life, can explain the measures in detail.

The final and biggest factor is love. People who are happy and well in older age often have a strong marriage, close friendships, or both. There is no substitute for love.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick: What about love with your children?

Dr. Arthur Brooks: That matters, but the relationship types most strongly correlated with later happiness and wellness are a strong marriage and close friendships. Not everyone needs to be married, and not every marriage works. The important point is not to become isolated from other adults.

Children eventually leave, and the relationship is different. Parents often give more than they receive. I believe my children love me, and I live with my 27-year-old son, his wife, and their children. We intentionally moved our family near one another. Three generations live together, and others live nearby. My daughter is on active duty in the Marines and is stationed in Hawaii, but we expect her to return later.

Family closeness is important. It is also important to understand that the adult relationships most correlated with later-life happiness and wellness are close personal friendships, a strong marriage, or both.