 Although
"Live Long and Prosper" is actually an abbreviated version of a
blessing, most of recognize it as Dr. Spock's greeting on "Star
Trek." But, back here on earth, and in retirement, there really
are two secrets to living longer and healthier - strong social
support and an optimistic outlook on life. Today, I'm going to
share three scientific studies with you about longevity and
better health:
- "The
22 percent effect." Lynn Giles and three other
researchers followed 1,500 older people for 10 years, and
found that those with an extensive social network outlived
those lacking social support by 22 percent. Interestingly,
it was friends and not relatives that had this effect (not
to say relatives aren't important; they just weren't a
factor in increasing longevity in this study). The effect of
friends increasing life span persisted, even when those in
the study experienced huge changes such as the death of
family members or a spouse. (Source: Journal of
Epidemiology and Community Health.)
- "The
two and a half year effect." Another 13-year study,
involving 2,812 men and women in New Haven, Connecticut, 65
years of age and older, investigated the relationship
between social activity and longevity. It found that men and
women who were socially active lived an average of two and a
half years longer than those who were not socially active.
This study is important because it links a longer life span
to activities such as playing cards, eating out, or going to
movies with others, without regard to physical exercise. It
had been widely thought that activity prolonged life because
of the physical aspect; now we know that social engagement
alone can increase the life span. (That doesn't mean you can
retire to the couch, though!) (Source: American Journal
of Epidemiology.)
- "The
power of positive thinking." A third study examined
the relationship between positive thinking and the risk of
frailty. The researchers followed 1,558 older adults for
seven years and compared frailty (determined by speed of
walking, strength of grip, weight loss, and fatigue) and
measured positive thinking by asking participants how many
particular positive thoughts they had over the course of the
study (such as "I felt hopeful about the future"). As a
group, frailty increased among the aging adults, but those
with positive emotions/thinking were less likely to become
frail. Talk about the power of positive thinking! Why does
it work? A few possibilities have been proposed: positive
emotions may directly influence body chemicals in a way that
affects health, positive people tend to have increased
social interactions, which may result in more access to
resources, and optimistic people may be better at coping
with and addressing problems. (Source: Psychology and
Aging.)
So, there you have
it. "Live long and prosper" can be more than just a Vulcan way
of saying hello on a television show - it can be reality.
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