centenarian wins bicycle race (Photo : Reuters)
What is the real-life Fountain of Youth? A yearly survey recently asked people who have lived to100 years old or more for their opinions and outlooks. While the topics included life, health, and family, positive attitude tops the list of secret key habits among centenarians.
The survey was the 10th annual 100@100 survey given by UnitedHealthCare. The company earned $130.5 billion in revenue during 2014.
Maintaining a optimistic outlook topped the list of ways to keep healthy, according to CBS News. 25 percent of centenarians said that it was the most critical factor for living a long life.
Second on the list was eating healthy. Exercising regularly and staying busy were next on the list, respectively.
The survey's participants shared various ways that they stayed physically and mentally healthy. They included walking or hiking, weightlifting, meditating, and spending time with family, according to Huffington Post.
The 100+ year-olds also shared that they valued feeling youthful. Over 50 percent of the centenarians surveyed said that they felt two decades younger than their actual age. Sixty percent did not feel like old people.
Jay Olshansky, a professor at the University of Illinois, shares that how a person feels shows how their body is "operating." It is related more to genetics than attitude.
Centenarians said that they felt the most good-looking at age 31. They also felt the healthiest at age 46.
Olshansky's research group's 2013 paper revealed that age does not "really matter" for several people. Many older people are still living active and healthy lives.
The survey also asked 10 year olds the same questions as the 100 year olds. The centenarians felt "old" at age 87, but the 10 year olds thought "old" ages started at 46.
Almost two-thirds of the centenarians said that Betty White was their top dream dinner guest. Yet only 1 percent of them had taken a selfie picture.
Furthermore, 47 percent of centenarians said that it is easier to have a positive attitude as they get older. Olshansky explains that many "uncertainties" disappear as people become older.
