Healthy living

Living a Healthy Life

What is the secret to living a healthy life? Harvard experts explore the decisions we can make every day to ensure that we are prioritizing our health and wellbeing.

Last updated: January 2023

What we eat

How does our relationship with food impact our overall health? Harvard experts are researching the ways that food helps and hinders our wellness.

Science and research can help us make better choices when it comes to the foods we eat. Research suggests that some foods, and , provide benefits to our minds and bodies.

Scientists study everything from and whether is good for you to how and how your are related.

Explore and .

How we move

Why is exercise important and how can we make sure we are active enough? Harvard experts are working to better understand how we can benefit from an active lifestyle.

Humans have deep-rooted instincts to avoid unnecessary physical activity, because until recently it was beneficial to avoid it.鈥�

Dan Lieberman

Professor of biological science

Balancing diet and exercise

The best balance is both a good diet and an active lifestyle, Professor I-Min Lee says.

Top 5 exercises

No matter your age or fitness level, these activities are some of the best you can do to help get in shape.

What we feel

How are our mental health and physical health linked? Harvard experts study the ways we can best take care of ourselves holistically.

Students form a circle outdoors around a large lawn

We're all human

Intellectual growth and academic achievement should not come at the expense of our health. Harvard recently launched a new collection of mental health and wellbeing resources for students, faculty, and staff.

We're all human

Harvard Medical School

Is a mobile app as good as a therapist?

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Daytime eating and mental health

Harvard Law School

Student group focuses on wellbeing

Harvard Chan School

Spirituality may lead to better health outcomes

Harvard Graduate School of Education

Making time for mindfulness in the classroom

How we find joy

What things in our world make us happier and healthier? Harvard experts are exploring how quality of life impacts both our mental and physical health.

Learn about opportunities in your neighborhood and which greenspaces are easily accessible to you.鈥�

Heather Eliassen

Professor of nutrition and epidemiology

Music and mood

New analysis finds that music boosts our mood and wellbeing, and may even help during treatments for certain health conditions.

Healthy buildings

What makes a place 鈥渉ealthy鈥� is complex, layered, and sometimes even contradictory, but our wellbeing depends on the places around us.

How we rest

How are sleep and wellness entwined? Researchers 黑料专区 study the different aspects of how sleep relates to our health.

Our brain while we sleep

Scientists believe that sleep plays a role in how we learn and form long-term memories.

Excessive napping

A study of older adults found that excessive daytime napping may signal an elevated risk of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.

Sleepy students

Researchers have found evidence that school start times impact non-cognitive factors like academic performance, attendance, and dropout rates.

What we moderate

What habits should we avoid to ensure that we are prioritizing healthy living? Many of the dangers to our health and wellbeing are being investigated by experts 黑料专区.

Risky behaviors can negatively impact our health, cause health complications, and even decrease our lifespan.

Scientists 黑料专区 and beyond are investigating the dangers of , evaluating the effectiveness of , and researching the paths to .

Recent research has revealed that consuming less sodium and more potassium can 聽聽Researchers have also linked sleep deprivation and alcohol consumption to .

How we live longer

What habits can we adopt to lengthen our lives? Harvard experts are studying the choices we can make that may help increase our longevity.

Longevity starts when we're young

A new study shows that our health and habits as children and teens affect not only our health as adults, but also how long we live.

Is 80 the new 60?

Researchers define 鈥渉ealthy aging鈥� according to four areas: longevity, physical health, emotional health, and cognitive health. A person who lives into their older years with good status in all four domains can be said to have 鈥渉ealthy aging.鈥�

Reflecting on relationships

Research has shown that positive relationships increase life expectancy, help us deal with stress more productively, develop healthier habits, and even have a greater resistance to the common cold.

Optimism lengthens life

A study showed that women who reported having a positive outlook were more likely to live past the age of 90.

Studying "super-agers"

Researchers are studying 鈥渟uper-agers鈥濃€攖hose whose sharp memories avoid typical age-related declines鈥攊n an attempt to study whether there are interventions that can improve prospects for the rest of us.

Being good for goodness鈥� sake鈥攁nd your own

Being good is good for you, say the authors of research that explored the role of character in physical and mental health.