A Harvard University Medical School study, 85 years in the making, is very clear on the question of how to have happier lives in the world. As the New York Times recently reported, "strong relationships are what make for a happy life".

While I have done a recent podcast on Finding Happiness, this one is a bit different, perhaps in response to last week's podcast in which Jade Neptune, a young writer and college graduate spoke about college suicides and loneliness.

No one can say that he or she has the absolute right answers to these age-old questions. But it only takes one strong relationship to make a difference in our lives. More than that, and you are playing with house money.

In this podcast, I talk about this Harvard Medical study and the articles by the New York Times. There is the secret power of the short phone call, the small talk that has big benefits, writing notes of gratitude, the importance of work friends, and trying hard not to cancel our plans.

Last week I was with a great number of friends in New Bern for a seminar discussion that turned on happiness, fighting loneliness and living a purposeful life. They shared with me and each other recent events in their lives on their own struggles with friends, illness and even death.

Still, through it all, everyone of them has hope for the future and strong beliefs as to how they manage to live happy lives.

Whether it is through acts of unconditional friendship, writing notes of gratitude, or simply making new memories as well as remembering old ones, they continue to try.

They believe, as do I, in a place called Hope.