While scientists are still debating the limits to human longevity, current estimates hover somewhere around 120 years based on various studies of cell division. Of course, although most of us will never even get close to that point, (see the 25 most likely ways you will die) this doesn’t mean you should be reckless and stop wearing your seatbelt. Instead, grab yourself a notepad and listen up because these 25 ways you can live a longer life just might give you a shot.
It’s not just the moms that benefit from being in contact with her children but the children themselves as well. A recent study by Harvard Medical School showed that 90 percent of people who had weak relationships with their mothers developed serious illnesses by the age of 40 whereas only 50 percent of the those who had strong relationships with their moms did the same.
Evidently just living in a rural area can be enough to increase your life expectancy by up 10 years. If you do have to live in a city, however, just know that a recent study coming out of Tokyo Medical School showed that living near green open spaces is much more conducive to a long life span.A study done by John Hopkins School of Medicine in 2002 showed that men who expressed higher levels of anger when responding to stressors were more than 6 times as likely to suffer a heart attack by 55.If you want to live to be a hundred you’re probably not going to make it alone. You need friends and lots of them. If you haven’t noticed yet, social contact seems to be a popular theme on this list, which lead right into…Watch standup, prank your friends, just be a joker. The longer you can keep that smile, the more likely you’ll be to stick around.While it probably won’t win you any prom dates it has been shown to boost your immune system, reduce blood pressure,and even prevent cancer.Hispanics in the United States have an average life expectancy of 80.6 years, which is over 2 years more than for any other group. But seriously, while you can’t just will yourself to be hispanic, there is at least one closely related thing you can do…The point is not fluency, it’s the effort that counts and according to the research this is an excellent way to keep your mind in peak condition.Neglecting this simple habit can lead to bacteria entering your bloodstream by way of infections in your mouth. This has been shown to positively correlate with heart disease and other illnesses.While people will tell you that getting married leads to a longer life, the truth, especially for women, is that singleness can be just as healthy, particularly if you have fulfilling social relationships.Of course, while marriage does often lead to a prolonged life expectancy (especially for men) you are better off staying single than getting divorced. So, if you made the leap make it work, your life depends on it!According to a study done at Oxford University, women who have “pear-shaped” figures with some extra padding around the hips are actually at a lower risk of contracting heart and metabolic diseases. It’s all about location though. If that extra weight is around your stomach, its time to hit the treadmill because your chances significantly increase.Evidently an apple a day not only keeps the doctor away but the grim reaper as well. A study recently appearing in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry described how a certain antioxidant in apples prolonged the life of test animals by up to 10%.At least not as much as you want to. Studies have shown that people with the lowest mortality rate sleep between 6 and 7 hours a night. People who sleep more than 8 and less than 4 are in some sense killing themselves.The point is simple – do something that stimulates your brain and keeps you inspired. We just figured that if you could go for the hat trick and do something mind blowing awesome at the same time, then you might as well.1 2
Take a statistics class. You may not live any longer but it will seem longer.