Chapter 80 Have fun living to 100

Old age is the richest time in our life-course: a time for us to enjoy the rich harvest of accumulated experience and wisdom, the time to enjoy some of the aspects of life lost to early struggles, ambitions and stress, simply put, to enjoy mature payback period. In 1954, two physicians—two Dunbar brothers—Dr. Flanders and his older brother Francis—began the first medically unique study—the study of centenarians.There are about 1580 old men and women over 100 years old (including 100 years old) in the United States, and the Dunbar brothers and their colleagues are conducting research on 20% of them.

In their report, presented at the 3rd International Association for the Study of the Phenomena of Aging Conference in London, they upend some conventional wisdom about aging.For example, they proposed that heredity has nothing to do with a person's longevity, but has a lot to do with the person's personality and emotional quality.If a person is healthy, independent, brave, kind, caring, and loves his work, he has the potential to live to be 100—and have fun doing it. The centenarians selected by the Dunbar Brothers as research subjects were all very healthy, loving life, able to take care of themselves, and their interest in life outweighed their fear of death.They are not old at all except age.

I think this "Dunbar Report" starkly confirms that there is no such thing as "getting old"—it is our refusal to grow that causes us to age. How mature we are determines this process of constant growth.When we give up our desire to learn, when we stop growing as a person, we fail, and we start to grow old and outdated, ready to be relegated to a rocking chair or a junkyard.The date of birth printed on the ID card proves nothing, we will go all the way.This may happen in our twenties or thirties, age has nothing to do with it. Dunbar's Centenarian Report clearly states that a healthy, happy old age is associated with a corresponding attitude of mind and spirit.

One thing all centenarians have in common is staying busy.The Dunbar Brothers didn't find anyone who retired and didn't look for work to be included in their investigative report!They speculate: "Retirement and compulsory leisure education prevent them from continuing their work. But they are still healthy after 65, they all want to work, and their health comes from the fact that they can continue to work." In this way, all centenarians find another job to replace them after retiring from one job. From an emotional point of view, none of these centenarians are grumpy, capricious, willful, or difficult to get along with. On the contrary, they are mild-tempered, happy, carefree, and free from illness.Most of them don't worry about their health.There was a centenarian who didn't know the name of her doctor because she had never seen a doctor.Another old man said that she had her first cold at the age of 113, so her grandson never allowed her to go out in the rain.

Although these centenarians are different in terms of diet, smoking or drinking, none of them is unlimited, and they all know how to stop. Ninety-eight percent of the centenarians surveyed were married and very few were divorced.They gave birth to 1.6 times more children than the average level in the United States, with an average of 3.9 children per pair, and there are not a few of them with 10 to 20 children.They see parenting as fun, not a hassle, and they never complain about it. Insistence on independence is another characteristic of centenarians.Most of them will not choose to live with their children, and they are more willing to help future generations than to be supported by them.

They are so busy with life that they have no time to think about death.Many people talk about the future as if they have decades to live. They are good at accepting new ideas and changing old ones. They have many friends, an inclusive attitude, a good sense of humor, and little reminiscence of the good old days. In conclusion, Dunbar's research on centenarians gives us hope.Whether or not we live to be 100, at least we can develop the attitude of trying to live a happy rather than miserable old age. Physiologists have shown that the organs of our body do not age at the same rate.Dr. Nathan W. Schock of Baltimore City Hospital in Maryland conducted a study on this: "Aging doesn't happen in an instant. It starts when we stop growing."

Dr. N. J. Burrell of McGill University in Canada claimed: "No one will grow old all at once. A 65-year-old person may have a 40-year-old heart, a 50-year-old kidney and an 80-year-old liver. …combined, a 90-year-old may have the nerve conduction velocity of a 30-year-old, the kidney function of a 60-year-old, the sensory abilities of an 80-year-old, and the metabolism of an average 90-year-old. Clearly, he cannot It looks so old." We don't have to worry about the gradual loss of wisdom in old age.Dr. Shaw and his assistants have found that the wisdom of highly intelligent people will increase with age, and on the contrary, "dumb people will become more and more stupid".

Although our reaction speed gradually slows down after the age of 60, our ability to function mentally is not affected.Our bodies begin to age almost as soon as we can walk, but our intelligence rises sharply up to 40 years old, and then slows down to 60 years old. "Even at 80," says Dr. Burrell, "one's intelligence is still as good as it was at 35. The mind is different, but not less valuable than it was at 35.  … Most People mistakenly think that their learning ability is reduced due to age, but in fact they are already fixed and unwilling to accept new things. "A knife will rust if it is not sharpened". Will remain as alert as ever."

There is no scientific evidence that the fact that old age has become a burden on ourselves and society.We may have some but certainly not all of our faculties impaired; disease may favor us, but it sometimes strikes young people; we may experience financial and financial difficulties, but there is a stage in life where there are no problems To face and overcome it? "Most people have wasted their adult years, which is a pity." Dr. A. J. Carr, an expert on the phenomenon of the elderly in the United States, said, "We allow ourselves to fall into wrong concepts and competition, insisting that we are outdated. And extreme opinions, miss this should be the peak of life, and then be left with an empty shell. Then we have to prepare to be a nasty, ignorant, helpless old man, suffering from adulthood and childish diseases and various neuroses all year round. bitter."

There is no doubt that old age is the richest time in our life-course: a time for us to enjoy the rich harvest of accumulated experience and wisdom, the time to enjoy some aspects of life lost to early struggles, ambitions and pressures, simply put, Enjoy a ripe return period. Science has conquered many diseases, it has extended human lifespan by around two decades in the past half century, and it is constantly developing and creating to help us enjoy and utilize these extended life spans.