The Key to Longevity Is Boring
An active social life increases longevity, strengthens the immune system, improves mood and mental health, and is the single biggest predictor of experiential happiness. We are social apes to our core, and even self-professed misanthropes benefit from regular doses of 'social medicine'.
Richard Meadows • Optionality: How to Survive and Thrive in a Volatile World
• In my 19 years of paying close attention to mental health, my experience has taught me that there are five foundations towards a concept I will call ‘mental wealth’ — sleep, diet, exercise, stress management, and exogenous compounds (anything from coffee to alcohol to prescription medication).
James Beshara • Mental Wealth
the Harvard Study of Adult Development—has shown that four of the biggest predictors of a senior citizen’s well-being are not smoking excessively, drinking alcohol moderately if at all, maintaining a healthy body weight, and exercising. Even more important for well-being is good mental health
The Harvard Study of Adult Development—the world’s longest-running longitudinal study, tracking people since 1938—found that the single strongest predictor of both happiness and physical health in old age was the warmth of participants’ close relationships. In fact, quality of connection at age 50 predicted health at 80 better than cholesterol leve
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