Triumph

A 75-year "longitudinal study" of Harvard students was published as  "Triumphs of Experience." A number of results are given as unequivocal truths, despite the evident limits of the method:

• Harvard students - higher intelligence, mostly upper class 
• Classes of 1942-1944 (mostly) - so almost all graduating into World War 2
• All male

For purposes here, that second one is likely to be the most telling. Assuming no prodigies graduating before the age of 20, they are all GI Generation. One article mentions that the group includes a president - easy enough to guess which Harvard GI that is. Many probably did end up going to war. And as such, it is not surprising that alcoholism was a significant problem - along with smoking.

They were normal when I picked them. It must have been the psychiatrists who screwed them up.  

-- Arlie Bock, who began the study

Maybe, Arlie, but the war probably didn't help.

Looking further through the descriptions of the subjects, there are stories that sound like they could be Nomads as easily as Heroes. While several are described in successes that only Heroes could have, one falls down drunk and dies, and another suddenly "retires" after having has trouble at work. When it reaches conclusions in favor of love and companionship, though, it seems reasonable that there are nuggets of wisdom.

Mostly, though, it's difficult to accept any of the results as being broadly applicable, considering the narrow period of time the subjects represent.  They wouldn't know what it was to be completely dependent on others during the Depression, or fighting back against the status quo years after the big War was over. Although it's worth predicting that this study could reflect the Millennials out there, who can expect a similar life cycle.