Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Study of Adult Development

In an unprecedented series of studies, Harvard Medical School has followed 824 subjects -- men and women, some rich, some poor -- from their teens to old age. Harvard's George Vaillant now uses these studies -- the most complete ever done anywhere in the world -- and the subjects' individual histories to illustrate the factors involved in reaching a happy, healthy old age.

He explains precisely why some people turn out to be more resilient than others, the complicated effects of marriage a...