Want to live longer? Adopt these workplace and lifestyle habits

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A new study by Genealogy and DNA site Ancestry and research company Calico suggests that a long life has lesser to do with our genes than once believed.

Instead, traits and behaviours such as diet, exercise and personality play a much more important role than our DNA, which only affects our lifespan by less than 10%. Another reason to offer healthy food options in the staff cafeteria or install an indoor “walking trail” in your office.

At the same time, a recent study published in the Circulation journal has revealed five lifestyle factors that seem to link to a significantly longer lifespan, based on two long-term studies involving about 123,000 adults in the US.

The factors identified include:

• Doing at least 30 minutes of cardio workout daily
• Eating a Mediterranean diet
• Avoiding smoking
• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Drinking no more than one to two alcoholic beverages a day

Apart from that, other related studies have also linked the following personality traits to a longer life:

• Conscientiousness, or being less of a risk taker and more thorough and efficient
• Openness, or being receptive to new and different ideas and concepts
• Emotional stability
• Friendliness
• Being openly expressive with feelings

Ultimately, the findings suggest that while the genes we are born with are less important in determining how long we live, how we choose to live our lives matters.

Photo / 123RF

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