73 Secrets to a Long Life

CHAPTER 1 Who Is Happier and Who Is Healthier? DO YOU KNOW ANY REALLY HAPPY, HEALTHY PEOPLE? WHY ARE THEY LIKE THAT? IS IT MONEY, LOVE, OR ARE THEY JUST LUCKY? Often on TV or in magazines we see the rich and famous: successful film stars, singers, and sports people. They live in beautiful homes. They drive expensive cars. They even have their own planes. Sometimes we may think, "Wouldn't it be great to be like them!" But how do we know the rich and famous are happy? Most of us are not famous or rich, and we have to work hard for our money. But sometimes we spend it on things we don't really need: an expensive pair of shoes, the newest mobile phone, or the biggest TV screen. We sometimes even want to change our physical appearance; we tell ourselves it would be great to be slimmer or to have younger-looking skin! But do those things really make us happier or healthier?

Of course, money is important. We need it to have a comfortable place to live and to pay the bills. But money isn't everything. If we work too much, we may not have time for family or friends. If we think only about the expensive things we want to buy, we might forget to enjoy simple pleasures, like a walk in the country, a conversation with a good friend, or a simple meal at home. As the song says, "Money can't buy me love!" We all want to be healthy and happy, but it's difficult to say what the secrets of a long and happy life are. Studies show that many things can be important, and they connect together in different ways. Read on to find out how some people find health and happiness.

CHAPTER 2 Friendship, Love, and Marriage DO YOU HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS? DO YOU GET ON WELL WITH YOUR CLASSMATES, COWORKERS, AND NEIGHBORS? ARE YOU IN LOVE? THE MORE "YES" ANSWERS YOU HAVE TO THESE QUESTIONS, THE HAPPIER YOU PROBABLY ARE! When we have good relationships with other people, we generally feel better both physically and emotionally. It's not just fun to have friends, we actually need them! They are there to celebrate good things with us, like birthdays or passing exams. But they also help us through the bad times: losing a job, money problems, or the death of someone we love. In fact, a 2010 study at Brigham Young University in Utah, USA, showed that people with good friends had 50 percent more chance of living longer. They found that not having friends can be as dangerous for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. And being lonely is even more dangerous than not doing physical exercise or being overweight.

So friendship is good for us, but what about falling in love? Helen Fisher of Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA, is an expert on love and attraction. She found that when a person is in love, more blood travels to certain parts of the brain. This means happy chemicals called endorphins are made, and we experience a strong feeling of pleasure. Sometimes we find it impossible to think about anything else but Mr. or Ms. Right. We can't sleep or eat, but we're very happy. So love actually changes our brains! We stop thinking about "I" and start thinking about "We." When we have a good relationship with our partner, we feel safer, worry less, and learn to enjoy more things. A loving couple can benefit from each other's strengths and cover each other's weaknesses.

James Coan, a scientist from Virginia University, wanted to see whether feelings of love could help people stay calm and feel less pain. He did an experiment on women who were in a loving relationship. First, he gave them an electric shock and asked them how much pain and emotional stress they felt. Then, he allowed the women to hold hands with their partners while he gave them another shock. Again, he asked them how they felt. This time, they reported that the shock gave them less pain and stress. Studies of the women's brain activity also showed that they were calmer before and during the second shock. So love may keep us calm and make us feel less pain, but be careful. A broken heart can hurt just like an illness can! Scientist Naomi Eisenberger has shown that the part of the brain that is active when we feel physical pain is also active when a loved one leaves us.

If falling in love makes us happy and healthy, what about marriage? Studies show that married men and women are happier and healthier than single or divorced people. On average, single people are more likely to get ill, spend more time in the hospital, and die younger. They also feel depressed more often and behave in ways that are bad for their health. Single men, for example, drink twice as much alcohol as married men, and 25 percent of them say that this is a problem. Married people also benefit because two people can live together more cheaply than one person. They share the house, car, food, and bills. Both married men and women seem to do better at work, too. They earn more and get more important jobs. Married men are also more likely to arrive at work on time!