Skip to main content

Longevity traits of nonagenarians and centenarians in Cilento, Italy



A recent study in 2017 reveals the longevity traits of nonagenarians and centenarians in Cilento, southern Italy, and that the secret to long life is more than diet.

The University of California’s San Diego Centre for Healthy Aging conducted a study of 90 and 100 year olds in Cilento, Italy, a rural region famous for its high concentration of very old residents.

For the study, published in International Psychogeriatrics, co-author and Italian psychologist Anna Scelzo interviewed 29 Cilento residents ranging in age from 90 to 101, and asked them about their life histories, losses, values and beliefs. She also talked with 51 of their younger relatives to get their impressions of the elders’ personalities.

Anna Scelzo found that the interviewed participants had a lot in common. They were positive, optimistic, hopeful, resilient, stubborn, and hard-working. Despite the traumatic events in their long lives, they were still hopeful for the future and had something to live for. They were still active in their old age. They loved their families, but their families said that their older relatives were often “controlling, domineering, and stubborn.” They wanted things to be done their way.

Here are some of the findings and lessons:

1.   The elders have good mental well-being

As people get older, their physical health declines, but their mental health improves. Dr Dilip V. Jeste, study co-author and director of the San Diego Centre for Healthy Aging, calls it the wisdom of aging. “When you are older … the expectation changes — expectations of other people and expectation of self. You accept yourself better.”

2.   The elders are full of resilience and optimism

The nonagenarians and centenarians in Cilento had been through a lot of stresses, such as war, financial depression, drought, migration, major illnesses, and the deaths of loved ones, yet they were still full of hope. "Life is what it is and must be faced," one of the elders said. These traits of positivity are about 30%-40% genetically inherited, but that means the rest is within a person’s control, Jeste said.

3.   Work is important, so is a purpose in life

These rural families worked hard for most of their lives, cultivating their land. Therefore, work provided a sense of higher purpose and meaning. Taking it easy may be enjoyable at first, but it may not make you happy after a while, Jeste said.

4.   The elders feel loved by family and friends

The nonagenarians and centenarians in Cilento were very close with their families and continued to be socially active. They often lived with relatives and frequently had visitors. Having social support is one of the most important things you can do to live happily, Jeste said. “You look forward to seeing them. You can share your stresses and joys.”





https://www.today.com/health/italy-s-oldest-people-shed-light-longevity-psychology-t120001

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing...
1 comment
Read more