What Makes a Good Life? Relationships & Well-Being Lesson

This What Makes a Good Life lesson uses Robert Waldinger’s well-known TED Talk as the centre of a video-first class about relationships, support, and long-term well-being. Instead of opening with a lecture, students make a prediction, watch the talk with a focused handout, and only then use the slideshow to unpack the evidence and apply the ideas.

This is Lesson 1.06 in the Life Management course. It follows the Motivation, Initiative & Persistence Webquest.

Learning Goals and Standards

Students identify major findings presented in the talk, explain what a longitudinal study is, distinguish relationship quantity from relationship quality, and discuss how supportive relationships are linked with long-term well-being. They also practise evaluating evidence presented in spoken media.

The lesson connects especially well with Ontario Personal Life Management expectations B1.1, B1.2, and B1.3. Cross-curricular literacy connections include CCSS SL.11-12.1, SL.11-12.3, and W.11-12.4.

Lesson Length and Materials

Plan for approximately 75 minutes. Students need the video handout, the lesson slideshow for the post-video discussion, and access to the TED Talk What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness.

The order matters: give students the handout, watch the video, allow a few minutes to finish notes, and only then open the teaching slides. That preserves the value of listening for evidence rather than previewing all of the answers first.

Bell Ringer: What Matters Most Over a Lifetime?

Before the video, ask students to predict which factors they think are most strongly connected with a good life over time. Possible categories might include money, career success, health, friendships, family connection, community, independence, or something else.

Students do not need to reveal anything personal. They can answer in general terms and return to the prediction after the talk.

Watch the Video First

During the talk, students record evidence rather than trying to transcribe everything. At the time of the talk, Waldinger describes a Harvard adult-development study that began in 1938 and followed hundreds of participants over many decades. The lesson uses those details as information presented in the talk, not as a claim that every number remains unchanged today.

Encourage students to listen for three broad ideas: social connection is linked with better outcomes, the quality of close relationships matters more than simply having many contacts, and secure supportive relationships were associated with better later-life functioning in the study.

Post-Video Discussion: What Does the Evidence Actually Show?

After the video, use the slideshow to clarify the language of evidence. This is an excellent opportunity to distinguish “is linked with” from “causes.” A longitudinal study can reveal meaningful patterns over time, but students should not turn an association into a guarantee.

Ask students which part of the evidence surprised them, what information came from the study rather than the speaker’s opinion, and why following people over a long period can reveal patterns that a one-time survey might miss.

Relationships: Quantity Versus Quality

One of the most useful discussion points for students is the difference between the number of relationships and the quality of those relationships. A large social circle is not automatically the same as reliable support. Quality can include trust, mutual respect, appropriate boundaries, dependability, and the ability to repair ordinary conflict.

Keep the examples general or fictional. Students should never be required to disclose loneliness, family conflict, health information, or private relationship details to demonstrate understanding.

Application: What Does Investing in Relationships Look Like?

Move from the research to realistic behaviours. Investing in relationships can mean making regular time for someone, checking in, following through on commitments, joining a community group, repairing manageable conflict, asking for support appropriately, or being a reliable source of support within healthy boundaries.

The important point is that “relationships matter” becomes more useful when students can identify concrete actions and recognize that different people may build supportive networks in different ways.

Exit Ticket

Ask students to identify one claim from the talk, one piece of evidence used to support it, and one practical action that could strengthen a healthy support network. A strong answer should use careful language such as “linked with,” “associated with,” or “the study found,” rather than claiming the talk proves a guaranteed outcome.

Assessment

Use the handout and discussion as formative assessment. Look for accurate notes from the video, recognition of longitudinal evidence, a clear distinction between quantity and quality of relationships, and responsible interpretation of the findings. The goal is evidence literacy as much as personal-life reflection.

Differentiation

Provide the key listening questions before the video, allow students to pause briefly between major sections if needed, and offer a transcript or teacher summary as an accommodation when appropriate. Students can answer in point form, use speech-to-text, or discuss a fictional person instead of themselves.

First-Hand Teaching Suggestions

I would resist the temptation to explain the research before students watch the video. The lesson is stronger when they first encounter the argument as listeners and then examine how the speaker builds it. I would also keep the class focused on supportive relationships broadly—friends, relatives, mentors, coworkers, community members, and professionals can all be part of a healthy network.

Ready-to-Teach Life Management Materials

The complete video handout, post-video slideshow, teacher answer key, discussion prompts, and the rest of the course materials are available in my Life Management collection on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Continue the Unit

Next: Why We Make Bad Decisions. You can also return to the Life Management course page.

Featured photo credit: Toa Heftiba via Unsplash.