Why is it that some people live to be older than others? Is it because of a self-disciplined diet, regular exercise and good hygiene? It is also true that genetic factors account for longevity in 25% of the world’s population. But interestingly, the rest of it depends upon the way you live your life. A diet comprising one-third less than the recommended 2,300 calories and meals including fish, vegetables and soya products, was cited as the reason for a high life expectancy on the Japanese island of Okinawa, where the world’s highest number of people over 90 live.

Lack of stress, regular working hours, sleeping hours and bed times, nutritious food and exercise too are important factors that prolong life. Yet long life is merely not a matter of physical health but also your mental health. New research suggests that people with certain temperaments live longer. And you can successfully change your personality to attain that particular temperament.

Optimism pays

To be an optimist you have to have a positive outlook towards life. New research suggests that optimists have more stable cardiovascular systems and have more responsive immune systems. Also, they have a less of a hormonal response to stress as compared to the pessimists.

How does optimism work?

According to Suzanne Segerstrom, psychologist at the University of Kentucky, UK, if you are an optimist and you work hard at achieving a task, your stress hormone levels may go up and your immune system may dip but this is like doing crunches at a gym. Initial crunches hurt but later on they pay back in terms of health and fitness – optimism results in increased well-being.

As reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in a study on aspiring centenarians, all those who live long are the most outgoing, active and lively people. If you are an extrovert and have the ability to make friends and help others, you may be able to gather enough resources to make it through tough times.

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic report that optimists experience a higher level of both physical and mental wellbeing. They follow wellness practices, such as no smoking, eating a balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight. In their study, optimistic people decreased their risk of early death by 50% as compared to those who were more pessimistic.

Says Mumbai-based clinical psychologist Meera Sahani, “It is how you perceive what goes around you and how you interpret it. And this has a great impact on the quality of life in later years thus affecting your longevity in turn.”

Worrisome for wet blankets

Researchers have found that pessimists score below on physical functioning, body pain, perception of general health, vitality, mental health, and even social functioning. Lack of communication or being anti-social can make you lonely. Loneliness is said to raise the blood pressure, which can be as bad for the heart as being overweight or being inactive. For those who are naysayers and worrywarts, lack of companionship can leave them isolated and neglected. And this then reflects on longevity.

According to Sahani, problems with a pessimistic personality may be biological, for instance changes in the immune system along with mental health because of career hassles, emotional stress, particularly depression. People with negative attitude succumb more easily to illnesses. To outwit these problems, scientist Louise Hawkley at the University of Chicago recommends ‘making yourself useful’ and having a healthy attitude and social life in addition to the traditional wellness practices.

Steps you can take to live longer

These are taken from varied research reports from National Institute on Ageing, Archives of General Psychiatry, Journal of American Medical Association and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA

• Stick to a low-calorie diet: A diet high in nutrients and low in calories reduces DNA damage, reduces insulin levels and body temperature – signs of longevity.
• Eat foods containing antioxidants such as berries, especially blueberries, beans, artichoke, cinnamon, cloves etc. Antioxidants get rid of free radicals, which accelerate the ageing process causing degenerative diseases such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
• Do not oversleep: Sleeping more than eight hours every night can decrease life expectancy. Research studies show that people who sleep between 6-7 hours per night live the longest.
• Having intimate sex can make you happy, rested and less stressed; which in turn can lower blood pressure protecting you against heart disease and stroke, say researchers.
• Stop smoking: Middle-aged men, who have been long-term heavy smokers, face twice the risk of developing prostate cancer than non-smokers. Smoking influences life expectancy.
• Manage your anger: People responding to stress with anger are known to suffer from high blood pressure and premature heart diseases thus affecting longevity.
• Stop nagging: People who engage in heated arguments often, especially married couples or at the workplace, are more likely to have health problems – hardening of arteries or atherosclerosis.
• Pets are a means to long life: Pet owners are less stressed and have lower blood pressure. Having pets stimulates exercise.

Pix: Vikash Sharma, Billy Alexander