How long would you like to live? Hmm. You may be thinking, “I would like to live to see my grandkids get married and maybe even meet my great-grandkids.” Or “My body hurts so much today, I’m ready to cash in the chips.”
Valter Longo, PhD is director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California. A few years ago, he traveled through Italy interviewing centenarians. As a result of his work, he made two observations. The first one was that some individuals live long lives because it runs in their family. Their parents lived to a ripe old age or perhaps they had siblings who lived long lives. In other words, it was kind of the luck of the draw.
However, his second conclusion was a little more surprising, and maybe even more encouraging to most of us. I think that we often believe that having an easy life, one without worries or hardship, one that’s easier on our bodies and minds, would certainly help us live longer. But Longo’s findings were just the opposite. Those who had experienced even extreme hardship, such as World War II concentration camps, seemed to have longer lives.
As he drilled down more, he also discovered they had a desire to live. For example, the person who retired and had no idea how to spend their time, frequently died younger. But those who were involved in meaningful activities, enjoyed longer lives.
Bottom line – all of those troubles you have had to deal with just may extend your life, and with that, give you more opportunities to enjoy it. Have a great Monday!