Name: The Longevity Project
Rating: 3.9 (123 reviews)
Author: Howard S. Friedman and Leslie R. Martin

What’s in it for me? Learn if you’re on track to live to a hundred.

In 1921, Dr. Lewis Terman, an American psychologist, started a study he called the Genetic Studies of Genius, which aimed to find the determining factor behind genius by observing the development of precocious children into adulthood. Terman considered all information that seemed relevant, like how many books the children had in their home or how they spent their playtime. Over time, the study amassed a wealth of data.

The study, known as the Terman Study, continued after Terman’s death, and when the authors began working with it in the 1990s, they were very interested in the data – but for reasons of their own. They wanted to use it to answer another question we humans have asked for millennia: What factors contribute to a long life? One surprising finding is that your personality has a major influence on your lifespan. But that’s just one discovery among many. What else did they learn?

In these blinks, you’ll find out

what impact being conscientious has on your life expectancy;
why a man’s lifespan benefits more from marriage than a woman’s; and
what effect religious faith has on longevity.

Conscientiousness is a characteristic that helps ensure a long life.

Have you ever been teased by easygoing friends for being stubbornly organized and always playing it safe? If so, you may end up having the last laugh, because this kind of behavior is part of being conscientious, a characteristic that can lead to a long and healthy life.

In children, one of the best indicators of longevity is conscientiousness, or carefulness. But even if it doesn’t develop until later in life, conscientious behavior can still have a positive impact.

When Dr. Terman considered these effects, he looked at the behavioral patterns of his subjects twice: once at the beginning of the study, when they were children; the second time when they were adults, 20 years later.

One of the subjects of the Terman Study was Patricia: She was a conscientious child and remained that way until she died in her nineties.

Another subject was James: He wasn’t a conscientious child but as he got older his habits changed and he became more detail and goal oriented. Over the course of 20 years he had moved from the bottom 25 percent to the top 25 percent in the conscientious score, and, as a result, he lived well into old age.

Researchers still aren’t sure why conscientious people are less likely to die from disease, but there are three possible reasons why they tend to live longer:

First of all, by nature, conscientious people are not risk-takers and they lead healthy lives. This means they are unlikely to drink, smoke, do drugs or drive recklessly.

The second reason has more to do with biology and the chemical composition of the brain. Research suggests that these types of people have higher levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps you feel good and stabilize your mood, and keeps you from making dangerous and irrational decisions.

Lastly, being conscientious can also lead to healthier personal and professional relationships. So, they’re not only happier and healthier individuals, they also attract partners, friends and jobs that help them stay that way.

We shouldn’t confuse cheerfulness with happiness. Happiness stems from positive lifestyle choices.

As the old saying goes, laughter is the best medicine. And if you’ve ever been battling a cold or feeling blue, you can probably agree that a good laugh can go a long way to helping you feel better. But how does laughter fit in with living a long life?

As it turns out, the cheerful participants in the Terman Study were actually less likely than their counterparts to live a long life.

There are many different paths to a long life, and by following some simple guidelines you can create your own.

In the previous blinks you’ve heard many stories about the different paths people have taken, and you might be thinking, “That’s great, but what is the best path I can take to make sure I live a long life?”

Well, there is no one path that works for everybody. But there are two major ones that we will call the high road and the road less traveled.

Key ideas in The Longevity Project

What is The Longevity Project about?

The Longevity Project (2012) is about the impressive and revealing Terman Study, which followed a group of people for eight decades in order to find out what habits and practices helped them live long and healthy lives. These blinks explain why marriage might not be as healthy as you think, and what you can do to improve your chances of happiness and longevity.

About the Author

Howard S. Friedman, PhD, is a psychology professor at the University of California whose work in health and longevity has won him awards from the Association for Psychological Science and the American Psychological Association. His other books include Health Psychology and The Self-Healing Personality.

Leslie R. Martin, PhD, a psychology professor at La Sierra University in California, is a recipient of the Anderson Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Distinguished Researcher Award. She specializes in finding ways to improve the physician-patient relationship and in forging psychological paths we can follow to live longer and healthier lives.