BBC: Ways to live for 100 years

How old are you, Beth?

That's a very personal question, Neil!

Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Anyway, at least you're not a centenarian, someone who's livved to be a hundred years old. 

Are you saying I look a hundred? That's even ruder!

Sorry, Beth, no! It's just that with advances in modern medicine people are living longer and longer. There was a time when living to a hunddred seemed impossible, but in 2021 the United Nations Population Division estimated there to be over half a million centenarians worldwide, and that number is set to rise. 

So how do you live to a hundred? And what could life be like in your twilight years, a pharase meaninng your old age, or the last years of your life. That's what we'll be disccussing in this programme, and of course, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too. 

But first I have a question for you, Beth. In 2022. the world's oldest certified person died aged 119. But which country was she from? Was it:

a) Switzerland   b) Italy    or c) Japan?

Hmm, I think the answer is Japan. 

OK, Beth, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Of all the many factors for long life such as diet, exercise, and keeping active, human relationships are among the most important.

People who are more connected with others, and have warmer relationships live longer and stay healthier. And according to psychiatrist Rober Waldinger, talking here with BBC World Service programme, The Inquiry, those relationships don't necessarily have to be with humans:

Introverts actually find having a lot of people around stressful, so they might only need one or two close people and that's all they need, that's all they want, and that's just fine for them. 

So one size doesn't fit all when it comes to how many relationships you need to have a healthy life. It doesn't have to be done with another human...we know that pets provide us with a great deal of comfort and joy and pets can calm us down. 

Whether you're a shy introvert or noisy extrovert, what counts is friendship, be that with a human or a pet. Different things work for different  people, so Dr Waldinger says it's not one-size-fits-all, a phrase meaning something which is suitable for everyone or every purpose. 

The first scenario, called Dorian Gray after the fictional character who didn't age, involves delaying the aging process. Here's Dr Barzilai explaining more to BBC World Service programme, The Inquiry: