The FitMind Podcast · 2026-05-19 · 1h 4m
Zen & the Science of Living Well with Robert Waldinger, MD explores what the longest-running study of adult life reveals about happiness, health, connection, and the many different ways a meaningful life can unfold. In this episode of The FitMind Podcast , we sit down with Robert Waldinger, MD, psychiatrist, Zen teacher, and director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, to examine what actually helps people thrive over the course of a lifetime. Drawing from more than eight decades of research, Robert explains why strong relationships are one of the clearest predictors of long-term health and happiness, and how loneliness can affect the body through chronic stress, inflammation, and nervous system dysregulation. The conversation also explores the overlap between psychotherapy, lifespan research, and Zen practice. Robert discusses why there is no single formula for a good life, how the mind fills in the blanks when faced with uncertainty, and why equanimity is not emotional suppression, but a wiser relationship to reactivity.
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