Harvard professor says 'winning a $20 million lottery won't make you happier'—but 4 things will

What makes us happy in life? It seems like a straightforward question, but it's>1. Friends and family

Developing a close bond with people we trust and confide in is essential to our overall well-being. "Choose your friends wisely and celebrate everything small and good with them," Chopra says.

Many others have stressed the importance of having deep and meaningful relationships. "The world is suffering from an epidemic of loneliness," former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wrote in a 2017 Harvard Business Review article. "If we cannot rebuild strong, authentic social connections, we will continue to splinter apart — in the workplace and in society."