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What matters most, over a lifetime.

Base Camp takes a long view of human development. The Harvard Study of Adult Development traces its origins to 1938, with early participants first assessed in 1939, and has followed lives over decades to explore what supports health, relationships and well-being as people age.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development

The study began with two groups of men: 268 Harvard graduates and 456 men who grew up in Boston’s inner-city neighborhoods. Researchers have examined how early experience, psychosocial factors and biology relate to healthy aging, late-life well-being and the quality of close relationships. A second-generation study is now extending that work.

One of its best-known insights is that strong, supportive relationships are associated with better health and well-being in later life. This is a finding to take seriously, not a shortcut or guarantee: meaningful lives are shaped by many factors.

A snow-covered peak above a ridge line
Grant Study project begins
1938
men across the original Grant and Glueck cohorts
724
cohorts with distinct social backgrounds
2

The original cohorts were men and were not representative of everyone. The findings are important, but should not be treated as universal or as proof that any one service causes a particular life outcome.

Long-term outcomes begin with what matters to you.

The research informs our perspective; the following are Base Camp’s program principles, not claims tested by the Harvard study.

  • Change happens with people.

    Trusted coaching, accountability and a community of experienced practitioners create space for honest reflection and challenge.

  • Your definition of progress.

    We begin with your purpose, strengths and context, then shape development around the outcomes that matter in your life and work.

  • Insight put into practice.

    Progress is revisited over time through agreed priorities, practical action and regular review—not promised as a quick fix.

Different questions. The same long view.

These studies follow people across years or generations. Each examines distinct outcomes, so they complement the Harvard study rather than replicate its findings.

  • University of Otago, birth cohort 1972–73

    The Dunedin Study

    A multidisciplinary study of 1,037 people born in Dunedin, New Zealand. Participants have been assessed repeatedly from early childhood into midlife, spanning physical health, mental health, behaviour and development.

    Why it belongs here: A rare life-course view of how early experiences and circumstances connect with later outcomes.

    Explore the study’s history

  • National Institute on Aging, established 1958

    Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

    NIH researchers repeatedly assess physical, cognitive and functional changes in aging. The study began in 1958 and continues to follow more than 1,300 participants.

    Why it belongs here: It shows the value of studying change within individuals, not only comparing different age groups.

    Explore the NIH study history

  • NIH and Boston University, established 1948

    Framingham Heart Study

    A multigenerational study that follows cardiovascular health and its risk factors across participant cohorts, including children and grandchildren of the original group.

    Why it belongs here: A complementary example of long-term, intergenerational research; its primary focus is cardiovascular health.

    Explore the Framingham study

Skills matter when they lead to opportunity.

We keep technology in view, while staying centred on people, relationships and the pathways that make growth meaningful.

World Economic Forum, 23 September 2026

The next AI divide is between learning and earning

This perspective argues that AI literacy alone does not guarantee access to work or income; practical projects, professional networks and routes into opportunity matter too.

A question we ask: How can people turn new knowledge into demonstrated capability and a realistic next step?

Read the analysis

The article is written by leaders at Goodwall and the HP Foundation; its views are the authors’ own. For broader AI data, see Stanford HAI’s 2026 AI Index.