THE PSYCHOLOGY OF LONGEVITY

Victor Bloom MD

In order to live long, it is best to pick parents who lived long, and if you have grandparents on both sides who lived long, all the better. And if your family tree includes aunts and uncles, great-aunts and uncles who lived into their nineties, you are in good shape. But it helps to be in good shape, physically and psychologically, that is. It stands to reason that if a person has good genes and a positive outlook and a balanced life, for the most part, except for extraordinary circumstances, he or she will have a long and full life.

But being in good shape includes being in good shape physically. And the latest guidelines from cardiology experts suggest a minimum of moderate exercise at least three times a week. The latest research shows that exercise keeps the collateral vascularization of the heart optimally open, providing a good reserve capacity for periods of physical exertion, such as shovelling snow. It is amazing how the heart keeps pumping for many years, through thick and thin. And the heart muscle needs to be supplied with adequate supplies of oxygen, so it is good to breathe deeply, open up the lungs and breathe from the belly. And exercise keeps the heart-lung apparatus in good shape. It also keeps muscle tone and bone structure at optimum levels.

It is not necessary to overdo it. People after sixty are well served to walk at least a half hour three times a week. One can do that outdoors, but in this weather, a treadmill helps. If you don't have a treadmill, walk briskly inside your home and make many trips up and down the stairs. Sitting around a lot encourages the formation of fat, which leads to overweight, which usually leads to a shortened life. And being sedentary encourages muscle atrophy and weakness, which leads to further idleness, which may become a vicious cycle leading to or caused by mental depression.

In case you forgot, mind and body are one, at least in this life; they are inextricably entwined. Your mind affects your body and your body affects your mind. That truth goes back to the ancient Greeks who understood the balance between intellectual and physical development; they started the Olympics. They knew what they were doing. Their classic statuary depicted perfect bodies, ideals which can be striven for, but never quite attained.

Here is where psychology comes in. In those without a perfect family tree or gene pool, it helps to be emotionally motivated toward health and happiness and toward longevity. Nowadays we have advanced medical knowledge which guides us in achieving health and longevity. Statistics show that it is good to maintain an ideal weight for one's height and bone structure. It is good to keep your fat intake down, especially unsaturated fats. That will keep your cholesterol and triglycerides within normal limits. Exercise and a healthy diet mitigate against high blood pressure and diabetes.

A healthy diet consists of lots of grains, leafy and other vegetables and fruit. There should be a minimum of red meat, dairy products and eggs. Protein is best obtained from vegetables, fish and fowl. A glass of wine five days a week helps keep the lab values in check, believe it or not. Excess alcohol is not good for the liver or brain and adds unnecessary calories.

A positive attitude leads to good motivation for health, happiness and longevity, which are represented by three oft-represented Chinese symbols. Age-old Oriental philosophy favors motivation for a rich and full life. Mental depression, on the other hand, leads to many bad habits, including alcoholism, substance abuse, smoking and over-eating. Depression is usually at the bottom of eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia, which are very unhealthy and sometimes fatal.

Successful treatment of depression leads to an optimistic and outgoing attitude toward life, toward health and longevity. Experience leads us to believe that depression and mood disorders include a tendency toward moodiness, irritability, tension and internal stress. These are causes of unhappiness and lead a person to unhealthy habits because deep down, that person does not want to live. For example, despite the fact that it is well known that cigarette smoking leads to cancer and heart disease, which often leads toward a shortened life, a quarter of American adults still smoke. Using the defense mechanism of denial and repression, they put the dangers out of their conscious mind. Unfortunately, they are driven by the experience that the next cigarette will lead to a momentary relief in their tension.

There are better ways to relieve tension. It is not necessary to take the poisons of alcohol, nicotine or cocaine to live comfortably. People who are addicted to unhealthy substances and an unhealthy lifestyle would be better off seeking psychiatric consultation and appropriate treatment for their underlying depression. Some people who are severely depressed don't take care of themselves because they are waiting to die. People who are not depressed instinctively want to live and therefore take care of their physical health. And physical health is a prerequisite to the good life. And it is usually the case that the prerequisite to good physical health is good mental health.