“Fact or fiction?” asks Castle Rock home care company, Barton Home Care, regarding recent longevity studies.

Recent studies by Drs. Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin on longevity have found some character traits they have associated with long life.   About 1500 people were studied at Stanford University as far back as 1921.  These people, who were born about 1910, were selected by Dr. Lewis Terman, a psychologist employed by Stanford.  The study encompassed eight decades and one of its basic precepts involved investigating why some individuals thrive well into old age while others miss this mark, fall ill and die prematurely.

Many old adages were proven to be incorrect.  The secret of life, according to these studies, does not lie in the consumption of broccoli and vitamins, jogging or having numerous medical tests.  Much more relevant were certain related habits and living patterns.  Social lives, personalities, and career paths proved to be of much more importance to long-term health than previously expected.

Researchers attempt to be as accurate as possible, but there are always limits in complex studies of human health.  Emerging statistics can be interpreted in many ways.  By following people for their entire lives and determining which characteristics influence subsequent behaviors, outcomes and qualities, it is possible to avoid research traps and biases.  Drs. Friedman and Martin have used this step-by-step  procedure to find exactly what causes individuals with similar backgrounds to diverge in terms of overall well-being and health.  They have established through their research that much common advice like the following examples are not supported by good science:

Get married early and you will live longer.
Think happy thoughts to reduce stress and live longer.
Worrying is bad for your health.
Retire early and play more golf; you will stay healthy and live longer.
Religious people live longer.
Vigorous exercise is better than hobbies like walking and gardening for extending life.

The doctors are not diminishing the value of exercise, diet, stress and weight to overall good health, but additionally say that these things vary from person to person.

Many more interesting facts about Dr. Terman’s research on living longer and the interpretation of this research can be found in Drs. Friedman and Martin’s book, “The Longevity Project:  Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight-Decade Study.”

Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager
Barton Home Care – Castle Rock home care