Living Longer

What does it take to stay healthy and live longer? "A personality tendency to preserve a consistent mood that is largely free of psychological distress promotes physical health much more than exercise or eating habits do," says Dr. George Vaillant of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston. Vaillant’s contention is based on an ongoing study of over 230 men who were originally recruited in 1942. At age 52, the men who were in good health were divided into three groups: those considered to be "distressed" (they had abused alcohol, regularly used tranquilizers, or consulted a psychiatrist), "undistressed" (they had never abused alcohol, ingested mood-altering drugs, or consulted a psychiatrist), and "intermediate" (they were between the other two groups). At 75 years of age, "only 5 percent of the [undistressed] had died, compared to 25 percent of the intermediate group, and 38 percent of the distressed men," reports Science News. Certainly, maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly help to promote good health. But "longevity, at least for men, seems to depend on a penchant for emotional stability that wards off extreme pangs of depression," says Science News.