In addition to having the oldest person in the world (María Branyas, at 116 years old), Spain is one of the countries with the highest rate of centenarians on the entire planet: there are 19,639, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics. Centenarians and their way of living are a fascinating source of information about the aspects that can help you live long and well.
That was what encouraged Lola Merino, doctor in Psychology, professor at the Complutense University of Madrid and principal investigator of the study Centenary Personality: Are There Psychological Resources that Distinguish Centenarians?, published in the Journal of Happiness Studies. Traveling for five years throughout Spain, Merino has interviewed in-depth centenarians to develop this research. We review with her her conclusions, which give us clues on how to live well for many years. Does being caring, curious or sociable help with happy longevity?
How did the idea of studying the personality of centenarians who are in good health come about?
The origin was a press report, which explained that we are among the countries with the most centenarians. It is known that genetic and environmental factors are determinants of healthy longevity, lifestyle, diet, physical exercise or contact with nature. But there was little research on psychological resources, which are very powerful. I realized that we had to study centenarians who had reached that age in a healthy way.
What does “healthy” mean? What characteristics did you establish to choose the people for your study?
Have preserved cognitive abilities and have reasonable functional independence. For example, being able to eat and clean themselves. Meeting these conditions is not easy, therefore, this is a sample of people that is very difficult to access.
How has the study gone? Has it been difficult to reach these nineteen centenarians that you have interviewed?
Having coffee with a friend, she told me that she was going to see her great-aunt from the Basque Country who had turned 100 years old. This is how I arrived at the first interviewee, the first person investigated. From here I started talking to my Complutense students, friends, institutions and nursing homes, to find centenarians in good health. I started in 2018, but with the pandemic I had to suspend work and we started other investigations. When we could, we resumed the interviews. We have finally published in the Journal of Happiness Studies. It is a qualitative study, we work with a small sample, but in depth, on topics that are little covered.
What was the goal of the interviews and research, specifically? What was intended to be observed?
It was already known that genetics and lifestyle influence longevity. The idea was to understand whether centenarians share personality characteristics or psychological resources that have helped them face stressful situations, difficulties and challenges in their long-lived lives. We wanted resources that they have, such as self-esteem, resilience, optimism... tools that allow us to better face problems and help achieve personal goals and meet needs.
What results did the interviews yield? Centenarians have a few common psychological traits…
We found thirty-five psychological resources, of which nineteen were common to the majority of centenarians and are central resources, and sixteen were peripheral or the product of individual differences. We group the nineteen into eight traits that are discussed in the study with concrete examples.
Let's look at these common traits of centenarians who are in good health. They are very vital, active people...
Yes, vital and participatory. One of the interviewees had worked as a dressmaker until she was 98 years old, with the visual-motor precision that the job demands and perfection in fine motor skills. Her voices are something very beautiful, because they are a reflection of that vitality. If you listen to their voice without knowing their age, you would never say that they are over 100 years old. They have clear, fast, coherent speech. Furthermore, it is not that they are alive, it is that they have a passion for living, a very important issue. One of the participants started traveling at the age of 80, when her husband died. She traveled at a very advanced age to Paris, Rome, Berlin, Brussels, Warsaw, Jerusalem, Turkey...
They are also very sociable people…
It didn't cost anything to interview them. You launched topics and they didn't respond with monosyllables, they really like to talk, it hasn't been difficult for them to make friends throughout their lives. Furthermore, they feel loved by their families or by their caregivers if they are in nursing homes, and this is very nice to hear. They are people who have helped those who needed it, altruistically and selflessly.
There are also common psychological characteristics, in these centenarians in good health, that are related to work... Which ones, for example?
They are responsible people and committed to what they do. They have been great and good workers, throughout their lives they have worked well and have been highly appreciated by their bosses. Furthermore, they have been honest and persevering, when they have a goal, they go for it. One of the women interviewed broke her hip at the age of 98; The doctors told her that she would surely not be able to walk again, but in less than a month she was already walking.
Another psychological characteristic observed is autonomy, independence in judgment. Are they very assertive people?
They have all taken control and reins of their lives, they have directed them. They have known how to find opportunities in the environment, not letting themselves be overwhelmed when they had many demands, they have known how to organize and move forward.
This has special value, if we take into account the historical era they have lived through. Born before 1924, their lives have been marked by the Spanish Civil War and the post-war period...
Of course, and even more so considering that the majority of centenarians are women. Being a woman in this era was very difficult, and that is why reaching more than 100 is tremendously meritorious, your life experiences are amazing. One of them abandoned her boyfriend to go to America to work, to Washington, when she had no idea of English. This woman was absolutely autonomous.
Another common characteristic of testimonies is resilience… Any examples?
They recover quickly from adversity and have emerged stronger from bad experiences. With such a long life, everything has happened to them. Some of them have had very difficult childhoods, during the war and the post-war period, and recently with Covid. They have also lost many loved ones. None of them have any friends their age left. They have seen them all die, their partners, children, and even grandchildren. They have great positivity, not in the optimistic sense, but in gratitude. They are grateful, and this is very important.
Gratitude, you say, is key…
It is one of the practices that is carried out to experience well-being. It's that "don't wait to realize what you have when you've lost it." The centenarian interviewees thank life for everything they have, and know how to enjoy the little things, from a starry night to a meal they love. They are positive and enjoy.
Does intellectual level influence longevity, according to your study?
All those interviewed are people with intellectual interest, they are great readers, they like to learn, they are curious. That does not mean that they have a high level of education, in many cases they are self-taught, they have learned a profession themselves, to read and write... In their time, with a very high level of illiteracy, everyone knew how to read and write. There was only one who had university studies (she was a teacher); two had high school studies (one saw her veterinary career cut short due to the civil war); Fourteen have primary education, and two never went to school, but knew how to read and write. One of the ladies, a lover of reading, worries about what will happen to her books when she dies.
Are they intelligent people?
Yes. In fact, intelligence is one of the psychological variables that best predicts longevity.
From all this you extract some general rules or advice for healthy longevity... For example?
Physical and intellectual activity are very important and both are present in the centenarians that we have interviewed. Regarding physics, there is more and more research that shows that it not only takes care of the body, but also the brain, preventing cognitive deterioration. Small challenges also help, or getting involved in activities that you had not done before, such as artistic tasks. Learning new things is very positive, like practicing gratitude and enjoyment, becoming aware of the good that is in your life and being grateful for it. Go to an exhibition and let yourself be seduced by what you see, drink or eat something and do it with the awareness of how good it is...
To what extent are social relations decisive?
We are social beings and we need the group to feel good, it is an issue that is in our genes. It is key to have support groups so that, for example, they can take care of us if we are sick. Giving and receiving love is key, feeling loved, like the people we have spoken to. The ability to give help is crucial, the most altruistic people are happier than those who are not. Creating habits and following them also helps to live better, following routines so as not to be overwhelmed by what happens to you. Perseverance is also vital.
In short, what is needed, according to your conclusions, to live many years and live them fully?
Resilience, activity, gratitude and warm relationships with others. That is what is needed to live long and fully.
