The Good Life   

By Tor Dahl 

The human life span has not changed in hundreds of years; it is eighty-five.  Few people live longer, and most do not reach that four score and five number. 

It appears that if you conquer a late-onset cancer, you will die of something else.  The mortality rate is still 100 percent, and eighty-five is a great dividing line. 

But, some things have changed since Thomas Hobbes wrote that the life of man was likely to be, “. . . solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” [1]  

We have found that solitary people do not live as long as social creatures – the phenomenon is referred to as the “connectivity variable.”  It takes many forms: weekly bowling, a card game, a cherished activity with friends.  If you socialize, you’ll live longer than if you don’t. 

Poor people do, indeed, live shorter lives than do rich people – much shorter, in fact.  We see it in the mortality rate differences between rich and poor countries.  And we see it within each and every country; the higher you go in socioeconomic status, the longer you will live. 

Then there is joy.  Satisfied people live longer than dissatisfied people.  In fact, people with high job satisfaction, high life satisfaction and high socioeconomic status, have the best chance to live beyond the eighty-five-year bar.  If you want to place bets on your longevity, go for joy . . . go for respect. 

Russian men now die at an average age of 59.5 years; Russian women live until age 73.  That is life expectancy, and this we know from studying causes of death and how they correlate with what we eat, what we drink, and whether we exercise or smoke. 

[1] Of the Natural Condition of Mankind as Concerning Their Felicity and Misery. Leviathan. 1651. 

It seems, however, that a happy life can ward off some of the deleterious effects of smoking, drinking, and stress. 

So – what makes for a happy life? 

At the deepest level, it is acceptance.  To be accepted and respected for who you are and what you do is a powerful boost to your self-esteem – and to your immune system.  So is intimacy – closeness to friends, mastery of a field or subject, sharing the most revealing parts of yourself with someone you trust. 

Sensory stimulation is satisfying in so many ways: holding hands, listening to music, smelling coffee in the morning, tasting your favorite foods, seeing the sun set in a luminous sky.  In witnessing a child’s obvious delight in these simple things, we are reminded time and again of their importance. 

Yet there is more.  We love to learn and to grow.  We love to overcome obstacles and reach goals.  We hunger for serving a purpose larger than ourselves.  Those of us who know and practice these insights are blessed.  We do what we love, we have friends whom we cherish, we have goals that beckon us, and we have tasks that challenge us.  Busy people find time for all this because they know what is important, and they know how to plan their time.  And their reward is often as surprising as it is unexpected – a long and joyous life. 

Now that my horizon is no longer endless, I feel a need to enjoy fully and deeply what life has to offer.  Good books.  Good friends.  Sand between my toes.  The roar of the ocean.  A perfect meal in perfect company.  And to give back with thanks to others in this wonderful world for all that I have received.