For a long life, volunteer
After 80 painstaking years of research in longevity, we now know the secrets to a long life. The biggest surprise? It's different for women than for men. I suspect that's less a surprise to the ladies.
Building upon the data collected by psychologist Lewis Terman, whose work began in the early 20th century, University of California researchers Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin published their results in their book, "The Longevity Project" (Hudson Press, 2011). Beginning in 1921, Terman (then Friedman and Martin) followed 1,500 Americans from childhood to death, amassing volumes of data on their habits, health, families, and character traits to see what correlated with who lived longest. The study is ongoing; some of the subjects are still alive.
A few of the study's surprising, and not-so-surprising results:
* Conscientiousness: This trait turned out to be the biggest personality predictor of long life. That's probably because it's a broad trait. Conscientious people are more likely to wear seat belts, follow doctors' orders, and be considerate of others (therefore have happier relationships).
* Motivated at work: Those who advanced well in careers tended to live longer. Hard work paid off in more ways than one.
* Worrying is OK: This was a shocker; kids who worried lived longer than kids who were cheerful and optimistic. Carefree and undependable types had much shorter lifespans. Apparently the worriers were more careful with their health.
* Helping others beats feeling cared for: Now the data backs up the philosophies behind compassion and charity. Those who spent more time volunteering or helping friends and family lived longer than those who spent less time, but felt more loved.
* Divorced women thrive, but men dive: Both sexes benefit from happy marriages. Single, divorced, and in some cases widowed, women, whether or not they remarried, tended to improve health and live longer. Men who divorced, whether or not remarried, tended to live shorter lives.
Does this mean marriage - at least a bad marriage - is worse for women? Hard to say, but the researchers did note that women relied on friends and family for social support, while men tended to rely more on their wives and so were left with less. This might be a bigger factor post-divorce. Prior studies on health and social habits/attachments support that idea, emphasizing the importance of friends and a steady stream of education, formal or informal.
"Surprisingly, the long-lived among them did not find the secret to health in broccoli, medical tests, vitamins, or jogging. Rather, they were individuals with certain constellations of habits and patterns of living. Their personalities, career trajectories, and social lives proved highly relevant to their long-term health, often in ways we did not expect." - From the introduction to "The Longevity Project."
Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Sholehjo@hotmail.com