Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism, and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100

ISBN-13: 9780525610182

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Appetite by Random House

Publication Date: 06-16-2020

Pages: 304

Product Dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

Marta Zaraska is a Canadian-Polish science journalist. She has written about nutrition and psychology for the Washington Post, Scientific American, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, New Scientist, and several other publications. She is the author of Meathooked: The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million-Year Obsession with Meat (Basic Books, 2016), which has been translated into Japanese, Korean, simplified Chinese, Spanish and Polish, and chosen by the journal Nature as one of "the best science picks" in March 2016. Meathooked has also been praised in The Wall Street Journal, Discover Magazine, Time, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Natural History Magazine, etc. She has also contributed a chapter to the recently published The Reducetarian Solution (TarcherPerigee, 2017) alongside Mark Bittman, Michael Shermer, and Peter Singer.

Read an Excerpt

From the Introduction

In our modern, busy times, it’s no wonder that we prefer easily quantifiable longevity quick fixes. Many of us don’t have enough hours in a day to focus on all possible things that might influence health. I certainly don’t. Between full-time work and taking care of my daughter, there is little time left to think about cardiovascular exercises, organic foods, trying a ketogenic diet, worrying about whether to stop eating gluten, and so on. That is why in this book I prioritize longevity habits and focus on the things that matter the most if you want to live long. Number one? A committed romantic relationship, which according to some studies can lower your mor­tality risk by a staggering 49 percent. Second, having a large social network of friends, family, and helpful neighbours can reduce the probability of early death by about 45 percent. Third is having a conscientious personality (44 percent).

The benefits brought by the rest of the longevity interventions I describe in this book hover around 20 to 30 percent of mortality risk reduction and play a far greater role in your health than the paleo diet, your turmeric intake, or omega-3 fatty acids (volunteering—about 22 to 44 percent; omega-3s—no effects found). What’s more, all these things matter to your centenarian potential at least as much as does a veggie-loaded diet or a busy exercise schedule. Of course, it’s a tricky thing trying to compare mortality risks between studies. Studies differ in methodology, the time period when they were conducted, the populations tested (Americans, Japanese, Danish, and so on). I have based my calculations, whenever possi­ble, on the best of studies: meta-analyses and reviews published in respected peer-reviewed journals. Still, the numbers here should be treated as rough guides, not dogma.

To save you time, throughout this book I suggest solutions that marry classic health boosters such as nutrition and physical activity with mental and social efforts. I explain why mowing your elderly neighbour’s lawn may be better for your arteries than hitting the gym and why jogging with a friend, in synchrony, could have a higher longevity payoff than running alone (the synchrony is key here). As food goes, rather than gobbling your broccoli without much thought it’s more beneficial to eat it mindfully. And for a healthy oxytocin boost, try savouring your greens while looking deeply into your beloved’s eyes (research suggests a beloved dog might help, too).

From the perspective of mind-based longevity, becoming a cente­narian or raising one often means less work, not more. It means taking a back seat, worrying less, and buying less—fewer toys, fewer fitness gadgets, less organic food. It means letting kids play unsuper­vised, and letting them get dirty. It means easing up on yourself, spending more time with friends and family, and laughing more often—and the sooner you start, the better.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

Introduction 1

Part 1 The Mind-Body Connection and its Longevity Consequences

1 Is Death Optional?

Immortal Animals, Zombie-Killing Pills, and Super-Centenarians 13

2 How Your Mind Talks With Your Body

Mortgage Worries, Stress-Resistant Nazis, and a Few Trillion Microbes 34

3 A Sniff of Love

How Social Hormones Influence Our Relationships and Longevity 57

Part 2 How Your Relationships and Your Mind Can Prolong Your Life

4 Ditch Goji Berries

Why Many Diet and Exercise Interventions Matter Less than You Think 79

5 The Gnawing Parasite of Loneliness

Why Feeling All Alone May Shorten Your Life 102

6 Friends with (Longevity) Benefits

How Marriage and Friendships Prolong Life 122

7 Chameleons Live Long

Empathy, Attachment, and Social Grooming 145

8 Helping Others Helps Your Health

Superheroes, UNICEF, and Random Kindness 165

9 Why Personality and Emotions Matter for Longevity

Don't Worry, Be Happy-and Organize Your Sock Drawer 187

10 How Meditation and Mindfulness Boost Health

Slow Breathing, Yoga Rats, and Horror-Stricken Leukocytes 206

11 Longevity Lessons from Japan

Ikigai, Cherry Blossoms, and Working Till You Drop 227

Epilogue 247

Notes 250

Index 286