We are bombarded with advice and information about diet and exercise, but what about the impact of friendship, optimism and kindness on our longterm wellbeing? It is eye-opening to discover that a strong support network of family and friends lowers mortality risk by about 45 percent, while volunteering your free time reduces the chances of early death by a staggering 20-60 percent, depending on the study. Science journalist Marta Zaraska is the author of Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100. In this episode of the LLAMA podcast, she discusses the peer-reviewed studies that suggest living to a great age is about more than what we eat or how much we move. We cover how caring for children motivates us to keep on living and why Marta's long-held beliefs about aging and longevity were shattered through an understanding of the research.
How many times have you heard about an older person doing extraordinary things, despite their great age? In recent weeks the story of the 100-year-old war veteran, Captain Tom Moore, has captivated millions, for his marathon fund raising efforts in the UK. Walking lengths in his garden he has raised more than £30m for the National Health Service, during the Covid-19 crisis. He is amazing. In this episode of the Live Long and Master Aging podcast we explore the lives of amazing people through the eyes of Dr. Noelle Nelson, a California-based psychologist, author of Happy, Healthy…Dead and collector of eye-opening stories through her Facebook page, Meet the Amazings. What are the common traits of older people who live their lives to the full, almost to the end?
