The key to a long healthy life

"Think that diet and exercise are the keys to a long, healthy life? Think again."  

~ (Aging Well 2002 book cover )

According to Harvard research, healthy relationships trump diet; exercise; fame; fortune; IQ; social class; you name it - even genes - when it comes to mental and physical health. 

Since 1938 Harvard Medical School has been carefully monitoring the lives of a select group of people to learn what can be done to improve quality of life with age. Surprisingly, based on the data, the current lead researcher, Robert Waldinger, observes:

“The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80.” 

And take note, the researchers conclude low cholesterol levels at age 50 were not predictive of a long healthy life. Apparently high conflict marriages are destructive to health, perhaps more so than divorce, and loneliness hurts. Talk about the need to consider the whole person before medicating symptoms. So when was the last time your doctor asked you about any change in your relationships? How you're getting along with others? 

Who would have thought that tending to one's relationships could be the best form of self care? 

Embracing family, friends and community protects one from life's wear and tear, and better predicts a long, happy and healthy life. Should we then not be investing more time and energy on creating and maintaining close ties?