Longevity is so boring.
Indeed, working toward a long life can be so tedious many of us won’t even bother.
Experts today would argue longevity is a five-piece puzzle: what goes in your mouth, how much and how you move that bod, relationships, sleep, and dumb luck (e.g. genetics, Mack trucks).
Luck is like the puzzle piece the dog chewed. You just can’t do much about it. Well, except not get a dog. (That is to say exactly zero logic involved and yet providence can be everything.)
Even Winston Churchill got hit by a car when he was crossing 5th Avenue in New York in 1931.
Luckily – for him and for humanity in general – he didn’t die from his scalp wounds and cracked ribs.
Yet for all the things we can control and that might extend our life - it gets so boring so fast.
What goes in your mouth should be nutrient dense and not processed. Ideally it’s organic and having no added sugar. Yick.
And, turns out actually you shouldn’t drink alcohol – like at all.
So. Boring.
The most monotonous movements - or nonmovements - are the best for longevity: planks, squats, mediation, burpies, walking…
Stable long friendships – platonic and non – are another significant longevity ingredient.
We all know however some of these “good relationships” we engage in while at times fulfilling can also have stultifying moments - or years or, let’s face it - decades.
Sleep. Is anything more dull than being asleep?
The word “snooze” is practically a synonym for boring.
At least eight hours of deep sleep, REM sleep and light sleep. So good for you, so unexciting and taking up at least 1/3 of every single day.
It turns out that on average wealthier people tend to live longer. This is - probably - not because rich people are more boring than average.
Rather, according to research, wealthier people live longer because they buy the dreary stuff and do the mind-numbing activities that cause longevity – organic food, Peloton, therapy, blackout curtains, Headspace app, special mattresses, etc.
While the better-off tend to amass the humdrum materiel and undertake the ho-hum pursuits, longevity enhancers are broadly available at relatively low price points.
To be sure, for us diligent souls who put in the work and “win” the longevity race, our extended lives likely won’t be as exciting as that poor guy’s shorter one.
