Have you ever wondered why some people live long, but others don't? Many scientists have studied the secret of a long life for years.
Thousands of studies support the idea that a long life is influenced by two major things.
It's no surprise that the gene(基因) is a major influence. Some people's bodies simply have special advantages. They have parents and grandparents who lived long lives. Their parents have passed on these positive genes to them. Howard Friedman is a health scientist. With h1s research partner, he wrote a book about living a long life. He says genes explain about 1/3 of why people live to an old age.
The other major influence is basic health care. Good food, clean water and medical care all help a lot. For example, a person getting vaccines(疫苗) has a better chance or avoiding many serious diseases and staying healthy.
People cannot change their genes. And it's difficult to improve a whole community's healthcare system. However, the new research results show there are things each or us can do to help improve how long we live.
Many studies show that having a sense of purpose is important. For example, in Okinawa, Japan, plenty of people are over the age of 100. They have an idea called ikigai or life purpose Scientists believe it's one of the reasons why Okinawa has so many long-lived people.
Staying active is the second important personal quality (品质). It's not the same as doing difficult exercise. Instead, it's the most important to remain active in a natural way, doing something you enjoy.
Another quality is helping people. When researching the effects of love, scientists expected to find that people who felt loved would live longer. But this wasn't what they found. Feeling loved made people feel better. However, loving and caring for others did make people live longer.
The final one is conscientiousness (尽责). Conscientious people plan for things and think about details. Of all the personal qualities, conscientiousness shows the strongest link(联系) to a long life. Some people believe being conscientious means living a boring life. However, the opposite is true. Scientists say that being conscientious and hard-working makes many wonderful chances.
