“There are… no truly healthy centenarians; you can’t put 100 points on the board without getting worn out and banged up along the way. But there are independent centenarians and happy centenarians and centenarians who have had a rollicking good ride. The same is true for people who will never reach the 100-year mark but make the very most of the time they do get. The end of life is a nonnegotiable thing. The quality and exact length of that life, however, is something we very much have the power to shape.” (Source: The Surprising Secrets to Living Longer — And Better)
Time magazine published an article on February 15, 2018 written by Jeffrey Kluger and Alexandra Sifferlin entitled “The Surprising Secrets to Living Longer — And Better.” The article takes into account numerous studies done concerning possible factors that can lead to longevity of human life.
The studies focused on different facets of a person’s life from personality traits, diet & exercise, to having friends, and it noted what effect those factors had on length and quality of life. Here are some of the findings discussed:
There is a gene variant linked to dementia, and a study determined that those with it who had positive attitudes about aging were 50% less likely to develop dementia than those who faced aging with more pessimism or fear.
Both family and friends are associated with happiness and better health, but as people aged the health link remained only for people with strong friendships.
Cities increasingly rank high on both doctors’ and seniors’ lists of the best places to age gracefully as they often have better access to potential friends, health facilities, and potential activities the elder can partake in than rural areas (which can be isolating).
There is no correlation pointing to cheerful/outgoing people living longer than those who are more serious/introverted.
Healthy eating may not need to be completely strict and is an issue of moderation.
While some exercise is beneficial it’s not as strenuous as one would fear; and it’s better to remain a healthy weight rather than be diet obsessive and repeatedly fluctuate the body’s weight.
Sex has also been linked to healthy longevity — although aged sex partners should not be strenuous and focus more on intimacy and pleasure rather than culminating in orgasm.
Light to moderate alcohol use is associated with a lower risk of death compared to people who don’t drink at all. (Though that’s not a reason to start if you choose not to partake.)
“Humans are not alone in facing the ultimate reckoning, but we’re the only species–as far as we know–who spends its whole life knowing death is coming.”
