Some researchers are predicting that one out of every three babies born this year will live to be a hundred. Here are some clues that MIGHT mean your chances are good too.
#1.) You have a lot of old relatives. There's a lot of evidence that longevity has a lot to do with genetics. At least half of all people who live to be 100 also have a sibling, parent, or grandparent that reached 90-plus.
--And the closer your relatives are who are over 100, the more likely you are to join them.
#2.) You can walk fast over long distances. One study found that the average person typically walks about two miles per hour . . . and for every two-tenths of a mile per hour faster than that, a person would have a 12% decrease in the risk of death.
--In another study, adults in their 70s who COULDN'T walk a quarter-mile were less likely to be alive six years later . . . and more likely to suffer from long-term illness or disability before they died.
#3.) You have a lot of friends. The more you interact with other people, the more likely you are to live a long time. And lonely people tend to die earlier, and be less healthy in general. Sorry.
--An 80-year study of 1,500 people born around 1910 found that religious women lived longer . . . mainly because they were involved in a lot of social groups. People who were non-religious but involved in civic and community groups also lived longer.
#4.) You're a woman. Out of roughly 80,000 Americans who are older than 100 today, 85% are women. And women who bear children naturally beyond the age of 40 are FOUR TIMES more likely than other women to live to 100.
--Not because they gave birth late, but because their bodies are aging less quickly.
#5.) You worry just enough to stay safe. New research says that SOME worry is actually good for you. It might cause stress, but people who worry . . . as long as it's within reason . . . actually live longer on average.
--It's probably because they tend not to take risks, and have fewer accidents.
#6.) You have a positive attitude. Lots of studies suggest that a positive outlook on life tends to give you more years. Obviously if you tend to stay happy, you experience less stress, and that can help you stay more healthy.
--But the BEST clue that you'll live to be 100 is . . . if you're 99 right now. According to the best current data, two out of every three 99-year-olds will live to see at least one more year.
