She has a strong mind, keeps herself busy through reading and walking, lives by herself and is not dependent on others. No gym, no VO2 max obsession, and an average diet but clearly she is not obese. In summary she has a will to live stemming from her strong independent mind. VoilĂ ! True secret of longevity unveiled 
.
The reliability of the Blue Zone publications may have been under debate, but this seems a returning aspect in publications about the different Blue Zones. Having a goal in life up until an old age, âikigaiâ, no matter how small it may (appear to) be. Plus: having social connections also in older age. And having mental resilience in dealing with and overcoming adversities.
She won the genetic lottery.
I am happy for her, but thatâs not inspiring and not helpful to the rest of us that donât have the special genes that turn down the m-tor or IGF naturally or some other advantageous process that mitigates aging.
Thatâs like cherishing lottery jackpot winners on âhow to succeedâ forum. You donât have to study or work hard - just win the lottery !
There are some truly inspiring agers that embraced a certain lifestyle that potentially extended their healthspan and lifespan.
Plenty of people who have that die early.
Are you being sarcastic ?
Thereâs still a physical process thatâs ongoing that is different for her because of genes. Everyone else has to compensate for lack of these genes with for example physical interventions and drugs.
Jaffeâs perspective on her longevity is unsentimental. She credits her genetic heritage, luck, and her commitment to âkeep moving,â in that order. âYou donât work toward it: It happens. Every day, you get up and youâre a day older,â she said.
Maybe genes that improve longevity also changes how it feels, so it feels like itâs like âkeep movingâ, itâs all confounded, with pleiotropic effects.
I actually I strongly believe that strong mind is a must have requirement for longevity through positive mindset, resilience, and the ability to manage stress. It influences lifestyle choices and overall health outcomes. For example, we all know and agree on daily benefit of the exercise. As I mentioned previously I do about 1 hour walking and running every day in a park. Daily I see folks, regulars, doing the same. Except of when the weather gets tough and it is windy, cold and rains then they all disappear. Sometimes for a day and sometimes for a week or two until the weather gets better. Are these superior genetics and drugs that allow me to do my walk every day? Iâm tall of a medium build with predisposition to gain weight.
It seems like the NYT has an article about aging almost every day. This one is about the benefits of a positive frame of mind.
How a Healthy Mind-Set Influences Longevity
A few qualities, including a sense of purpose, seem to have real benefits â especially as you age.
Nan Niland, 72, volunteers about 15 hours a week at a home goods pantry. âI needed to feel like I was doing something other than pleasing myself,â Ms. Niland said.CreditâŚ
- March 26, 2026
Nan Niland, 72, worked as a dentist for 40 years. âIt really was my self-definition,â she said. âProbably too much.â
When she retired in 2020, she settled into a routine of exercising, reading, sewing and spending time in nature. But after awhile, she began to crave a little more structure and purpose.
Then she read about the Newton, Mass., charity Welcome Home in a local newsletter. The organization serves as a home goods pantry, collecting and redistributing household items to families in need.
Today, Ms. Niland volunteers there about 15 hours a week. âI needed to feel like I was doing something other than pleasing myself,â she said.
Much has been written about how physical behaviors, like exercise, diet and sleep, contribute to a long and healthy life. But research suggests that, as you age, a positive mind-set â including optimism and a sense of purpose â can benefit your health and longevity, too.
Mattering matters.
Feeling that you are valued and have something to contribute to others, often called mattering, can help drive you toward positive health behaviors that influence longevity. âIf you feel like you matter, youâre more likely to stay socially connected, to take care of yourself, to show up for others, to keep investing in life,â said Jennifer B. Wallace, the author of a new book, âMattering.â
When Dr. Linda Fried worked as a geriatrician at Johns Hopkins Medicine early in her career, she realized that many of her patients were âlegitimately feeling sick,â but the cause of their sickness stemmed from ânot having a reason to get up in the morning.â
Dr. Fried, now a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University, started recommending that her patients volunteer at an organization that they care about. Not long after, she started her own volunteer program to study the potential benefits on older adults.
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Experts say feeling valued and that you have something to contribute to others â often called mattering â can help drive people toward positive health behaviors that influence longevity.CreditâŚTony Luong for The New York Times
Dr. Fried found that people who volunteered increased their activity levels and felt physically stronger after several months of service. They also modestly improved their scores on tests of cognition and scored higher on a questionnaire assessing their feelings on legacy and making a difference in their community.
Volunteering isnât the only path to mattering. Becoming a regular at a coffee shop, dog park or other third place can also help you feel more connected. âFinding environments where you feel like you matter, itâs protective against the loneliness and the lack of mattering that can creep in in retirement,â Ms. Wallace said.
Optimism is powerful, too.
Maintaining a positive outlook on life, and about aging in particular, also appears to benefit people in their later years.
A 2022 study found that women over 50 who scored highest on a measure of optimism lived, on average, 5 percent longer and had a greater chance of making it to age 90 than those who scored lowest. And a study published this month reported that adults 50 and up who had a positive attitude about getting older â saying they felt as useful or as happy as they did when they were younger â were more likely to maintain, or even slightly improve, on tests of physical and cognitive ability when tracked over 12 years.
Like with mattering, feeling positive about oneâs future seems to affect a personâs health by influencing their behaviors, said Becca Levy, a professor of public health and psychology at Yale University who led the recent study. When someone feels they have something to look forward to, theyâre more likely to follow medical advice, get more physical activity and maintain social connections. Dr. Levyâs research has shown that having a positive outlook on aging can even protect against stress, resulting in lower levels of cortisol and markers of inflammation.
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Maintaining a positive outlook on life, and about aging in particular, also appears to benefit people in their later years.CreditâŚTony Luong for The New York Times
Of course, getting older isnât easy. Losing a loved one, having to navigate an illness or becoming a caretaker can all affect oneâs sense of identity and perspective. Remaining optimistic in these types of situations isnât about being in denial about the hard parts of life, said Deepika Chopra, a health psychologist and author of âThe Power of Real Optimism.â
âItâs much more related, I think, to resiliency than it is to positivity,â Dr. Chopra said. People who are optimistic âsee these setbacks as something that are temporary and that they have the ability to overcome.â
To help engender a sense of optimism, Dr. Chopra recommends being intentional about looking forward to something every day. That could be a walk outside, a conversation with a friend, even what youâre going to have for dinner.
âWhen people repeatedly imagine the future as limited or declining, which a lot of people aging do, the brain begins to kind of reinforce those expectations,â Dr. Chopra said. âBut if we can consciously direct attention toward even something small, a small positive future moment every day,â she said, it trains the brain to anticipate that good things are still on the horizon.
Dr. Chopraâs grandfather, Madan Syal, embodies this attitude. He said he feels positive about getting older and enjoys playing cards with his wife every day. But what heâs really looking forward to is turning 100 this July.
Dana G. Smith is a Times reporter covering personal health, particularly aging and brain health.