Criticality when viewing and listening 1
Close listening, page 33
1) Watch the TED talk by Waldinger, R (2015): Waldinger, R. (2015) What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness. TEDxBeaconStreet. November 2015.
ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness
2) The first time you watch, focus on what you see and hear. Don’t take notes.
3) Then read the questions below and select the most appropriate answer(s) for each. There could be more than one correct answer.
4) Check your answers at this link. Answers to viewing and listening 1.
Questions
1. Which of these statements best represents the position of Robert Waldinger in this talk?
If we want long-term health and happiness, we should:
(a) forge good relationships with at least one other person.
(b) follow the example of Harvard graduates.
(c) Avoid bickering with married partners
(d) make sure we are married by the time we are 80.
2. Which of these statements most accurately conveys what Waldinger says about Millennials?
(a) It is impossible to compare the experience of millennials with those of people born 75 years ago.
(b) Millennials tend to fall asleep at work because they spend too much time chasing the wrong goals.
(c) Millennials are happier than young people from disadvantaged backgrounds 75 years ago.
(d) Young men 75 years ago wanted similar things to Millennials today.
3. What point(s) does Waldinger make about longitudinal studies?
(a) This longitudinal study has been running for at least 75 years.
(b) Longitudinal studies are hard to sustain for 75 years.
(c) There should be a longitudinal study based on Millennials, so we can compare experiences between centuries.
(d) Longitudinal studies have advantages over relying on memory.
4. What of these statements is an accurate reflection of what Waldinger says about women in the study?
(a) It wasn’t possible to include women in the study 75 years ago because they couldn’t then study at Harvard.
(b) At a later date, equal numbers of women were included in the survey.
(c) Most of the researchers were women.
(d) When asked, women felt they should be involved in the survey.
5. Which of these statements reflects best what Waldinger reports in his talk?
(a) At any one time, 1 in 5 Americans report feeling lonely.
(b) The majority of people in America feel lonely.
(c) Loneliness affects cholesterol levels.
(d) Lonely people, although less happy, tend to live longer, healthier lives.
6. Which of these statements reflects best what Waldinger advises in his talk?
To foster closer relationships, Waldinger says we could:
(a) Replace screen time with people time, go for walks, have date nights and reach out to estranged relations
(b) Talk more to close relations on screens, go for walks and befriend other lonely people
(c) Talk more to close relations on screens, go for walks, befriend other lonely people and reach out to estranged relations
(d) Replace screen time with people time, go for walks, have date nights and avoid people who make us feel unhappy.
7. Which of these statements is the most accurate reflection of what Waldinger states in his talk?
(a) We should make as many relationships as we can before.
(b) Social media are helpful as they help us to make more relationships.
(c) Cholesterol levels at age 50 predict health better at age 80 than does income or Harvard degree.
(d) Satisfaction with relationships predicts health at age 80 more accurately than does cholesterol levels at age 50.
8. Which of these statements is the most accurate?
(a) The Adult Development study to which Waldinger refers has sufficient numbers of older men participating in it for accurate conclusions to be drawn about male health and happiness
(b) The Adult Development study to which Waldinger refers has sufficient numbers of older women participating in it for accurate conclusions to be drawn about female health and happiness.
(c) We know that conclusions drawn in the Adult Development Survey using data from people born in the USA over 75 years ago will be applicable to millennials when they reach age 80.
(d) From this talk, we do not have sufficient information about the evidence base to know whether its findings have any general level of significance.
Now click here to check your answers.
