Have you ever thought about the secret of life for 100 years? If the answer was to engage in regular physical activity, know that there is another, more important habit: your personality.
Yes, according to a study conducted by a group of researchers from the University of Madrid and the Andalusian School of Public Health, also in Spain, they found a common trait in people who live longer: they adopt more positive habits and thoughts.
“Given that happier people are likely to live longer, we wondered whether healthy centenarians have psychological resources or positive personality traits that enable them to cope more successfully with traumatic situations and life challenges,” the team explains in the article was published by researcher Dolores Merino. Marta SánchezOrtega and Elvira ElviraFlores from the Madrid Teaching Center and Inmaculada MateoRodríguez from the Andalusian School of Public Health.
By surveying 19 people between the ages of 100 and 107 including 16 women the researchers isolated eight psychological strengths common in centenarians. “They are all related to physical and mental health,” they note.
vitality
The first point concerns the vitality of the person. According to the researchers, vitality means feeling alive and energetic. “The centenarians interviewed have a strong connection to the life that they not only live, but obviously want to continue to live,” they write.
The older people interviewed talked about doing sports every day; participate in social groups; Playing games like cards or Sudoku basically just staying mentally and physically active.
Socializing
Maintaining social relationships is the second practice listed by the researchers. In her opinion, it’s not about limiting yourself to just staying in touch with friends and acquaintances. The key to longevity lies in socializing with acquaintances and people outside the social circle.
Center for Better Aging on Unsplash super old
engagement
In other words, according to the researchers’ study, engagement means building a “psychological connection to what you are committed to.” The person can be committed to work, their family, friends and even personal goals. The centenarian academics interviewed in the study reported that they valued something they held on to.
Responsibility and control of life
The fourth fundamental point for reaching the age of 100 is to maintain a sense of control over one’s life.
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Intellectually motivated
Fifth place on the list is practically synonymous with youth: intellectual motivation. This means being curious, enjoying learning and learning independently.
Respondents said they traveled far and wide, exercising their brains with things like logic puzzles and, most importantly, reading.
“Even those who could not go to school learned to read and write independently,” the authors note, “which indicates a clear interest in learning, especially considering that the childhood illiteracy rate in Spain was 60%. “
Positivity
The researchers defined positivity not simply as “having a sunny outlook” or “smiling a lot,” but rather as gratitude for the good and the ability to overcome the bad.
“Life has given me everything, thank God,” said a 100yearold woman. “It gave me disappointments, like losing relatives, but thank God I didn’t go through any bad times.”
Resilience
The researchers wanted to find out details about the lives of the centenarians and reported some accurate stories. Checkout:
“The stories they tell reflect extremely difficult episodes in their lives, such as: separation from parents during childhood, abusive husbands, loss of a partner or even children, confinement in a nursing home due to Covid19, etc ,” the article explains.
“This is in addition to the Spanish Civil War that everyone experienced in their late teens or adulthood,” the authors add. “Despite all of this, the centenarians knew how to move forward with their lives, redirect some of their lives and, above all, not allow themselves to be psychologically damaged by the experience of adversity.”
intelligence
The final trait necessary for longevity is the pursuit of intelligence. “It is no surprise that intelligence is one of the best predictors of longevity,” they wrote in the article.
This may be because, by definition, it allows a person to think abstractly, plan ahead, and use new information to think and solve problems. These skills are useful when taking on everyday routines, such as taking care of your health.