Do you have what it takes to live to 100? It may be for totally different reasons than you think. I was somewhat surprised when I listened to the TED talk by Susan Pinker PhD. Of course when she did her talk, she saved the #1 factor that keeps people alive the longest to the very end. So I will do the same here. Some of these factors are things you have heard many times before, and make less of a difference than you might think.

We have all heard that women live longer than men, between 6-8 years. However, based on research in a small island in Italy where men live just as long as women, they know some factors that lead to a longer life. This study was conducted on people over 100. Pinker found that 25 percent of the reason was genetics; the other 75 percent was lifestyle. What she saw on this small island was that people’s homes were closer together and their lives were very interconnected.

Pinker’s curiosity got to her and her desire to live a long life. She saw research conducted by Julianni Holt-Lunstad from Brigham Young University. It was done over a 7-year time span with people of middle age. She looked at all the typical things we might think of, marital status, diet, exercise, smoking, drinking, etc. After 7 years past, she looked at the demographics and lifestyle of those who were still alive. She came up with the top 9 things they had in their life that kept them alive. These are listed from the least important to most important factors for staying alive.

Hypertension

While we might think of this as a big predictor on how long one might live, this was the least important factor. It still made the list, but the very bottom.

Weight

Whether you are thin or heavy, weight also was not a large predictor in determining how long you will live. In our society, it appears there is so much focus on weight, and eating the proper foods. It seems like it doesn’t make as big of a difference as we might think.

Exercise

This is surprisingly only third on this list. It did make it on the predictor list, but again, not as high up as we might have thought

Cardiac rehab

This is if you have had some type of cardiac event, and then gone for rehab after the event.

Flu vaccine to live a longer life

Did you have any inkling that this would make the list? I certainly didn’t. That means if you get a flu vaccine, you have a greater chance of living longer than you do if you are overweight or don’t exercise. Not that I’d recommend that you don’t exercise or eat right, but getting a flu shot is a whole lot easier.

Stop drinking

This one probably made the list in your own mind as you thought about these factors. Of course this does not refer to those who drink small amounts, but for those who are heavy or moderate drinkers.

Stop smoking

I’m sure you knew this one wasn’t the best for your health, but perhaps you didn’t know how high on the list it would be. I’m a little surprised myself.

Close relationships

Did this one make your list? We certainly know that having people in our lives that we love feels good, but perhaps we didn’t know how important it was for our longevity. These are the people we can call if we are struggling with life, or you can count on in an emergency.

Social integration to live longer

This refers to the people that you run into within your day, the people you interact with. Not necessarily  people you are close to. It means talking to the people in the checkout line in the grocery store, the person who makes your coffee at the local coffee shop, or the clerk at the post office. Also are you in any groups? It could be a book club, bridge club, bunko, craft group, or religious group. All groups are good.

Pinker went one step further and compared online and face-to-face contact. These are not the same. The face-to-face contact is much more important as when we meet in that manner; oxytocin (our bonding hormone, which also reduces levels of stress) is released. In addition, dopamine is released which makes us feel good, and gives us a natural high. These same neurotransmitters are not released with online contact.

This explains why in rich countries women tend to live longer than men. Women are more likely to place a greater importance on social interaction and friendships. We tend to do this over our whole lives.

So the moral of the story is, if you have these types of close relationships and social interactions, you are on the right path. If not, it is never too late to develop or enhance your current relationships. If this is something you struggle with, please give me a call at 713-304-6554.

Take care,

Debbie