The One Thing All Super-Agers Have In Common

It’s the golden question. How can we live longer, while also keeping our health intact? Enter super-agers, a growing part of the population who seem to be defying the inevitabilities of getting older. These are people in their 80s and above who have the cognitive and physical functions of people much younger – so what’s their secret?

Scientists from Northwestern University in America have spent the past 25 years trying to find out. Since 2000, they have been tracking 290 people and autopsying 77 of their brains to try and uncover how they have resisted decline. And this time, the common thread wasn’t regular exercise or following a healthy diet, but something we can all get on board with: maintaining friendships.

What Is A Super-Ager?

There’s lots of talk about super-agers right now, but the term actually dates back many years. It was coined by Dr. M. Marsel Mesulam, who set up the Mesulam Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease at Northwestern University in the late 1990s, a research centre conducting studies into topics like aging and memory.

Super-agers are loosely defined as people aged 80 and above who are cognitively healthy, but over the years scientists have been able to be more specific about what quantifies one. For instance, their brains look 20 to 30 years younger when scanned, and resist cortical shrinkage – something that is common among older people. And while their peers are losing 2.24 percent of their brain volume each year, super-agers are losing just 1.06 percent.

Unsplash

Friendships Could Help Us Live Longer

According to the latest research, super-agers are more likely to be sociable people. They are united in ‘how they view the importance of social relationships’, says Sandra Weintraub, a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, who was involved with the study.

Some of it is down to genetics. Super-agers were found to have a higher number of Economo neurons, which are associated with social behaviour – as much as four to five times more than the average person. But environmental factors also play a role, with scientists noting sociability as a standout similarity in those observed: super-agers take active steps in upholding their personal relationships.

This isn’t the first research paper to stress links between friendship and healthspan. All the way back in the 1960s, researchers from the California State Department of Public Health set out to identify the habits that led to greater longevity. Through comprehensive questionnaires and observation, a team led by Professor Lester Breslow concluded seven ingredients for a long, healthy life, including things like sleeping seven hours a night, maintaining a positive weight and drinking in moderation. But the research continued, and by 1979 an eighth element was added: social connection, following results which indicated those with big social networks were found to be half as likely to die as the people with smaller circles.

Okinawa, Getty Images

Meanwhile, there has been much exploration into the world’s Blue Zones (regions where people tend to live longer than average), and social bonds are consistently highlighted as a key factor. In Okinawa, Japan, for instance, moai is a pivotal part of culture: social support groups which begin in childhood, and last a lifetime. Sardinia, meanwhile, is known for its strong sense of community and belonging.

In many ways, the mental health side isn’t really all that surprising – we all know friendships bring us joy and support. But science also suggests having strong social bonds can prevent you from physical decline. Studies show loneliness increases your chances of developing Alzheimer’s, dementia and Parkinson’s disease, as well as impacting cardiovascular health – those with poor social connections are 30 percent more likely to suffer from a heart attack or a stroke. Indeed, a 2015 meta-analysis found the risks of social isolation were comparable to that of obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes each day, and a review published in Nature found those who self-reported as lonely were more likely to die early.

Clearly, friendships are just one part of the puzzle. Other habits observed by researchers at Northwestern University include living an active lifestyle and doing activities which mentally stimulate the brain, like reading, taking a class or Soduku. But hearing the importance of social connections is cheering – and, perhaps, an excuse to call up that friend you haven’t seen in a while.