In the TED Talk, "What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness," Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, presents a few simple, but easily overlooked ideals of happy, healthy relationships based on a 75 year study of 724 men's lives. 

The study, as he explains, began in 1938 in Boston focusing on two specific subgroups of men at the time. Dr. Waldinger employs the use of a PowerPoint to show images of men at different ages during the study. The first group of men in the study were attending and graduating from Harvard College right about at the time of WWII. The other group of men studied were young, impoverished, inner-city boys, acting as a sort of antithesis to the Harvard graduate group. Today, as Dr. Waldinger states, about 60 of the 724 original men are still alive, and in their 80's and 90's, they continue to participate in the study on their happiness. 

According to Dr. Waldinger, "Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period." He goes on to elaborate by explaining that relationships of quality over quantity, of affection over antipathy, and that are socially stimulating will lead to a longer, happier, healthier life. In the context of the study, relationships could take the form of many different social constructs such as family, friends, partners, and communities. It went on to find that the men in the study that reported that they were lonely tended to live shorter, more unhappy lives, while their memory and brain function tended to diminish at an earlier age on average. The study also found that the happiest 80 and 90 year-old men were the men that were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50. The study concluded that the relationships that we maintain and the quality of those relationships over time are the necessary building blocks to living a long, healthy and happy life. 

After finishing the TED Talk, the point that Robert Waldinger is communicating to the audience is that the answer to living a healthier, happier life was simple and that it all begins and ends with the relationships/people we interact with on a daily basis. Although the study has been ongoing for 75 years and he asserts three main lessons, the specific takeaway that Dr. Waldinger wanted the audience to realize was that happiness in life stems from the close relationships we keep.

Rhetorically, Waldinger utilizes a number of different methods to illuminate his point that good relationships lead to healthier, happier lives. Beginning with his first 2 assertions, which come in the form of rhetorical questions, Waldinger asks his audience, "What keeps us healthy and happy as we go through life? If you were going to invest, now, in your future best self, where would you put your time and energy?" This persuasive appeal to the people, while he elaborates further on the findings of the study, allows the audience to feel more connected and empathize with those being studied, as well as reflect on their own lives in the context of the study. With just two simple questions, Dr. Waldinger, clearly well-versed in the art of rhetoric, now has the attention and interest of the audience. 

The very next statement, Dr. Waldinger makes an appeal that captures all three of Aristotle's modes of rhetoric, Ethos, Pathos & Logos. This statement, which deploys a logical appeal by offering up some cringe-worthy statistics also enlists an emotional response, all the while reinforcing the credibility or ethics of Dr. Waldinger. The appeal to logos is obvious in the empirical data stated during the talk regarding 80% of millennials' aspirations to be rich, while 50% of that 80%, have aspirations of being both rich and famous. By stating this fact, Waldinger's appeal to pathos sets up a reaction from the audience, whether they be millennials in the crowd or on YouTube watching his talk, or people from numerous other generations trying to understand the millennial condition. He does this to appeal to as wide array of an audience as he can. Also, by stating this factoid, he is appealing to ethos, or establishing his ethics, which allows the audience to now have more trust in what he is speaking on because he has presented credible and relevant information from his research. 

Diving deeper into the TED Talk, it is imperative to qualify a number of other rhetorical principles that Waldinger utilizes throughout the presentation. During the entirety of the talk, Waldinger uses the the universal "we" and "us" while referring to his audience. This appeal to pathos/inclusion method allows the audience and the presenter to feel as if they are on the same level and, furthermore; helps the audience to realize that they could have been member of this study, and that happiness in life through good relationships seems to be a universal truth. 

The deployment of a visual aid also helps to heighten the impact of Dr. Waldinger's message on the audience. First, the visual aid is used to bring about laughter in a jab at the established norms of the workforce and the pressures to excel. The PowerPoint is also utilized to appeal to the credibility of the study by showing the pictures of actual participants at different ages throughout the past 75 years. The visual aid adds to the credibility and emotional appeal of Waldinger because it shows that he is, in fact, dealing with real people in the study. Also, by offering up real life testimony from participants, like their feedback on whether they are lonely or not, he strikes an emotional chord in an audience that can empathize with the idea of loneliness. 

Pushing back further on the idea of loneliness, Dr. Waldinger spends a significant amount of time during the middle of the lecture to juxtapose loneliness with happiness in relationships. This rhetorical device, also known as the utilization of antithesis, is apparent in that both previously stated, opposing ideas are used in a manner to contrast a specific effect. In this case, the effect of happiness in relationships and/or loneliness from lack-there-of in the making of a good life is contrasted to give the audience the impression that Waldinger's conclusion, supporting happiness, is indeed credible and acceptable.  

In setting out three main lessons that build off of one another from the study, Waldinger concisely narrows the scope of his message to the audience. Although a 75-year-long study would presumably encompass many other lessons that are not specifically tailored to this presentation, by condensing the study down into three lessons learned allows for a more focused and understandable message to be conveyed to the audience. Through these three lessons, Waldinger continues to make appeals to logic by presenting more data in regards to the study, as well as a further appeal to his credibility by describing part of the research process and analytics. The appeal to emotion, again, is also present in his carefully constructed antithetical comparisons of how lonely people/relationships may appear versus healthy, happy people in relationships. 

The culmination of these lessons comes to light as the presentation winds down. Dr. Waldinger clearly states his message, "...that good, close relationships are good for our health and well-being..." And continues to explain that although his message seems to be obvious or common sense, that human nature does not necessarily always operate by the wisdom of this statement. He goes on to challenge the audience with more rhetorical questioning, changing the "us" and "we" generalized terms to the individualized "you". By employing the tactic of isolating the audience members down to a specific person, rather than a group of people listening to the same presentation, Waldinger makes a final appeal to the emotions of the audience. The audience now feels like they, individually, can now proactively realize the benefits of happiness in good relationships and how that affects the outcome of a good life. Finally, Dr. Waldinger concludes his talk with a quote from Mark Twain that effectively summarizes the point of the presentation, which is that the making of a good, happy, healthy life is realized through good, close relationships.

