Living to 118 Years Old - Longevity Lessons to Be Learned From Sister André

I sadly read in the news that Sister Andre, the world’s oldest person, passed away a few weeks short of her 119th birthday.

I smiled while reading about her life as I was reminded about what I had learned years before from the famous “Nun Study.”

The Happiness-Longevity Connection

This continuing longitudinal study, begun in 1986, found that nuns were happier with their lives compared with the general population, and because of their increased level of happiness, they lived longer. The second important finding was that happy nuns lived longer than unhappy nuns.

That research made perfect sense to me.

Happiness and longevity go hand in hand. If you want to live longer than the average retiree, you need to be happier than the average retiree, all other things being equal.

Work: The Fountain of Youth?

“Most people say when you get old you have to give things up, but I think we get old because we give things up.”

- Former US Senator Theodore Green

When Sister Andre was asked about her exceptional longevity she always replied that it was due to her working later in life. She said “working makes you live and I worked until I was 108.”

What Sister Andre said aligns with research which confirms that people who stay highly engaged in meaningful endeavours live longer, are less depressed and have lower rates of cancer and heart disease.

Whenever I read about someone who has managed to live to a hundred years and beyond like Sister Andre, I always look for a common trait.

No matter their race or gender, one commonality I usually find is that the person worked or volunteered in some way late in life. And the important thing to understand is that these people didn’t do it because they had to, for the money (if it was paid work); they did it because it gave them a sense of purpose.

Consider this - why do rich people people like Warren Buffett age 91, and Charlie Munger, age 98, continue to work? Why do Elton John, the Rolling Stones, and other wealthy old rockers keep touring?

The answer is, they keep working because it gives them purpose and their passion for their work helps to keep them engaged and alive. Their work excites them and makes them want to jump out of bed in the morning. It serves as their own personal ‘Fountain of Youth” and keeps them youthful and energized. Sitting on a couch watching TV doesn’t do that for them.

If that doesn’t convince you that working is good for you, here are some other benefits of working in retirement:

• It keeps you mentally sharp by forcing you to solve problems and learn new things.

• It gets you off the couch and out of the house, keeping you physically active.

• It gives you an opportunity to socialize, which is a key contributor to happiness and longevity.

• It could lesson your longevity risk of running out of money in retirement.

Sister Andre said that working to an old age helped keep her alive for a long time. And I'm pretty sure that it's safe to believe that she wouldn't have lied to us.

Also Read: Lessons in Longevity from the Queen