Some people are afraid of aging and dying, but I wonder if you know that the more you fear aging, the faster you will age. The most important thing is to have a positive and healthy mind, so your body will become healthier.
1. Be optimistic.
Study completed by Dr. Neil Bardsley and colleagues at Yeshiva University found that centenarians have optimistic or positive attitudes about life, although they have lived different lives.
2. Love to help people.
A study by Dr. Sarah Konrath, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, found that genuinely helping others can increase life expectancy by four years. But if it is for personal gain to help others, there is no life-increasing effect. Dr. Konrath said that giving selfless help to others stimulates the “caregiving behavior system” in the body, which in turn lowers stress hormones and promotes the production of hormones that are good for recovery, such as “intimacy hormones.
3.
Lewis Terman, a psychologist at Stanford University, conducted a longevity study involving 1,500 children. The results found that conscientiousness is a major marker of longevity. The conscientious character specifically includes being organized, thoughtful, persistent and responsible. Conscientious people set goals and accomplish them, resulting in higher life satisfaction. But experts also caution that while it is important to be conscientious, it is important not to become so obsessed with one behavior that you neglect other aspects of your life.
4.
Loving relationships promote positive emotions, while a withdrawn personality tends to lead to negative emotions and increased risk of stress, inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Experts suggest that making friends through hobbies and joining book clubs can help expand social interactions and benefit longevity.
5.
Research by psychology professor Howard Friedman found that people who work hard and embody the meaning of life in their work live the longest. Premature retirement with nothing to do is not conducive to longevity. In fact, some people who retire from work live longer, but it’s not advisable to work too hard or be engaged after retirement.
6. Be open-minded to new things.
A U.S. survey found that many centenarians are able to use email, search for old friends via the Internet, and even date online. New things and technology help seniors exercise their brains while enhancing their socialization.
7. Be open to aging.
A new study by Dr. Becca Levy of the Yale School of Public Health found that people who have a positive attitude toward aging live longer, and those who exhibit a negative attitude toward aging before age 18 have a twofold increased risk of cardiovascular disease after age 60. The risk of cardiovascular disease increases twofold after age 60.
8. Moderate “hypersensitivity”.
A study of 70 Tokyo residents aged 100 to 106 by the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Geriatrics found that the most neurotic elderly were at greater risk for mental health problems and depression, but moderate “neurotic,” or people who worry a little, lived longer. People with some minor worries had a 50% lower risk of premature death than their partners.