Don't worry, be happy, live longer
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University in the Bronx analyzed 243 people ages 95 and older looking for common threads on their longevity. Credit: iStock
Want to live to 100 and beyond? Your behavior may be as important as your biology.
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University in the Bronx analyzed 243 people ages 95 and older looking for common threads on their longevity. They found that most of the older people shared a "personality gene" that made them outgoing and optimistic.
Dr. Nir Barzilai, one of the authors of the study, wrote in his online blog that when he and his research team assessed the characteristics of the subjects, "we found qualities that clearly reflect a positive attitude toward life." Barzilai said the people "considered laughter an important part of life" and "expressed emotions openly rather than bottling them up."
