Longevity by Jennifer Cox In 2015, a substantial study was carried out to determine if there was a link between happiness and people living a more extended life. It was determined that people who had more hopeful outlooks did, indeed, enjoy a longer lifespan, but there was still a lot of grey area because: what constitutes joy? In 2019, research was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which found that individuals with higher optimism levels were not only likely to have a greater lifespan, but also showed a significant probability of achieving “exceptional longevity,” which they defined as living beyond 85 years. Even after adjusting for such factors as chronic physical conditions and lifestyle choices such as smoking and alcohol consumption, these findings sustained. But this does not explain the underlying reason as to why optimism influences longevity. Healthy people, for example, are happier, and older people who enjoy both physical and mental well-being tend to celebrate more birthdays, too. There’s always been a tangible link between health and living longer. Being in good health and having good quality of life would obviously make someone happier, and these factors all help to increase one’s lifespan. So, joy can come from healthiness. Maintaining our mental well-being is also extremely important. Stress, anxiety and depression can all contribute to a wide range of illnesses which can wreak havoc on the heart. Experts can’t emphasize too strongly how vital it is to our overall health to take care of our minds just as much as our physical bodies. Since it’s been proven that happy people live longer, it should be a priority to stay on top of our mental health. People who engage in social activities are generally happier people as well. There has always been a link between socialization and longevity in that those who have spouses, who are surrounded by family and who have friends tend to live longer. It is these relationships with others that also bring them a sense of joyfulness. In 1938, Harvard researchers started conducting a decades-long study to find out what makes us happy in life. The researchers gathered health records from 724 participants from all over the world, asking them detailed questions about their lives at two-year intervals. What made them happy? It wasn’t career achievement, money, exercise or a healthy diet – they found that it was positive relationships. It’s these important connections that keep us happy, healthy and living longer. We can find things that contribute to our happiness, and then draw correlations between happiness and longevity. However, as a report in BMC Geriatrics explained, while higher levels of happiness are associated with greater life expectancies, the mechanisms of the relationships are not well investigated. Socioeconomic, behavioural, mental and physical health factors could explain the link between happiness and longevity, but other variables come into play, such as access to health care, avoidance of health risk, coping and resilience, and severity and outcomes of illnesses. There’s just no concrete way to measure the connection. While happiness and longevity are unequivocally linked, the very definition of what constitutes happiness varies immensely depending on the person and their life circumstances. One of the best ways we can apply these findings to our own lives is by focusing on what can make us happy. We know that being healthy helps support happiness, as does socializing. So, make that doctor’s appointment, go on walks to get some exercise, and call up those friends you haven’t spoken to in a while. You’ll live a longer, happier life because of it. Longevity and Happiness 36 | www.snowbirds.org
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