Since 1938, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has been researching how
people age. It started with two sets of young men: 456 from inner-city Boston and
268 Harvard students (including John F. Kennedy). It is an active, longitudinal study
that follows these men, and now their offspring, who are primarily Baby Boomers.
The study tracks all sorts of things in their lives and most recently reported on aging,
health, mental well-being and happiness.
One of the study's latest conclusions is that men with good, close relationships stay
happier – and are indeed healthier – than men without those relationships. It reveals
that cholesterol levels are not the best predictor of healthy aging, but rather, the depth
of friendships. It also shows that a lonely man is less happy and experiences health
decline at an earlier age, including a drop in brain function.
Do you have groups of friends that energize you to a healthier life? I do: it's the
brothers from my era, brothers I have grown close with while serving on Texas Alpha
boards and a group of friends from my hometown with whom I hunt annually. I make it
a point to hang with these guys at least once a year (hopefully more often) because it
AVALANCHE
TEXAS ALPHA | PHI KAPPA PSI | | SPRING 2023
Top photo: The Texas Alpha All-Boards
dinner in January 2023.
Above: From Phi Psi to France:
Russ Kempton '76, Bennett Roberts
'77, Kelly Fish '77 and Rob Zivney '68
traveled to Europe together in Spring
2023.
continued inside
HARVARD STUDY CONFIRMS
HANGING WITH FRATERNITY BROTHERS
LEADS TO HEALTHIER, HAPPIER LIFE
