calculate your "real" age here

[Nords]

Originally Posted by Khan

I just love how these systems always say that socializing/going to church/living near family members will make one happier/healthier/longer lived. Are they all developed by extroverts?

The theory is that you'll be nagged into taking care of yourself. This is apparently very critical for guys, whether they live alone or not.

At least that's what my spouse tells me.

[unclemick]

Originally Posted by Nords

The theory is that you'll be nagged into taking care of yourself. This is apparently very critical for guys, whether they live alone or not.

Sooo - a few Top Sirloin burgers with the guys topped with cheese, mushrooms and BACON(you knew that was coming), a big plate of fries and a few brews watching big screen sports TV adds years, years!

Ya gotta love those social networks .

heh heh heh -

[CuppaJoe]

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum

it could just be saying that you are on borrowed time (like, who isn't?)... you can't work on your body type but can control weight. you can increase exercise which is good for up to about 2 extra years. use self control over stress alone gives up to 4 extra years according to whomever put this thing together.

we have so much control over this. body chemistry, blood pressure, smoking (i'm 15 years non smoking thank you very much), regularity of exams, digestive tract health. for some things you can't change the past you can fix the present & future....sure there are some things like family heart history & their longevity for which you have less control over.

but diabetes can be controlled. diet alone gives a 4-year spread. regularity of eating. reduction of drink. this stuff is easy. even happiness is just a few sessions away. same thing with depression (though that can also wash with the aforementioned drink). anxiety. relaxation. love. satisaction with your day. friendships. seat belts. risk taking. all within your control.

try this. plug in some other numbers where you'd like to be. what if i slept more. what if i ate a healthy breakfast every day. what if i exercised more. see what life expectancy you get from all that. and then use that to set goals for redefining how you live your life....

Thanks for the thread and pep talk, Lazy. I know I can improve my odds, I've done it so many times before ! You should have seen me after three months on Ornish. But meditation, etc., etc. is no substitute for tackling the source, jumping out of the empl*yment box. See ya soon on the other side (that is, retirement).

[pksublime]

ok this thing is weird

biological age: 24
real age: 11.8
average expectancy: 74
my expectancy: 86.2

[TromboneAl]

I just love how these systems always say that socializing/going to church/living near family members will make one happier/healthier/longer lived. Are they all developed by extroverts?

Of course, since these were studies and not experiments (that is, they didn't flip coins and say:

"OK, Johnson, it's heads, so you need to go out and socialize for the next 30 years."

or

"OK, Mary, it's tails, so you have to hang by yourself for the rest of your life."),

we don't know whether extroverts will live longer even if they don't socialize. Also, no evidence that forcing an introvert to socialize will help him/her.

[ThurzNite]

Originally Posted by Notmuchlonger

But hey they have done studies! They know whats best.

That's what they said over at eHarmony too

Here's one that seems a lil more realistic
Look younger, live longer with RealAge -- RealAge Test
Says I'm +3.1, which's 31.5years old.

Dr J

[saluki9]

For some reason, I trust this one a lot more NMFN: The Longevity Game

Insurance companies are pretty good at this stuff, although the results here are much less exciting.

[CuppaJoe]

Originally Posted by TromboneAl

Of course, since these were studies and not experiments (that is, they didn't flip coins and say:

"OK, Johnson, it's heads, so you need to go out and socialize for the next 30 years."

or

"OK, Mary, it's tails, so you have to hang by yourself for the rest of your life."),

we don't know whether extroverts will live longer even if they don't socialize. Also, no evidence that forcing an introvert to socialize will help him/her.

In his April 3, 2008 column at Salon.com, "Since You Asked," Cary Tennis responded to a letter titled, "I'm a college student with no natural social skills." His response goes into the U.S. bias towards extroverts and most interesting to me, he describes how social events exhaust introverts. I don't know how to link it but it can be found at Salon.com in his "Since You Asked Directory." It has a hundred or so interesting responses from readers.

[Khan]

Originally Posted by CuppaJoe

In his April 3, 2008 column at Salon.com, "Since You Asked," Cary Tennis responded to a letter titled, "I'm a college student with no natural social skills." His response goes into the U.S. bias towards extroverts and most interesting to me, he describes how social events exhaust introverts. I don't know how to link it but it can be found at Salon.com in his "Since You Asked Directory." It has a hundred or so interesting responses from readers.

I'm a college student with no natural social skills, a Since You Asked column by Cary Tennis | Salon Life

[CuppaJoe]

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum

for practical purposes, if you have a heart attack or stroke, you're more likely to live longer if someone else is home to dial 911....[/size][/font]

I'm wondering if this is a popular misconception. It really doesn't pan out in my personal experience. Since (what are the stix?) 50% of first heart attacks are fatal, a goal is to get into treatment before it happens. I found that people around me at work and at home who knew my symptoms were totally unhelpful in deciding when to dial 911, someone at work literally bit his nails. It turned out to be entirely my decision when to try to talk myself into a cardiology referral (which failed), and later when to call for emergency advice.

One person who did help was someone I saw occasionally. We were at a wedding and I turned beet red. She said, "there is something wrong." I said, "no, I just can't take the heat." But she insisted, "there is really something wrong." Two weeks later, when I developed another symptom, I remembered what she said, and started the process of dealing with it. It took three weeks to get into the emergency room but they say I would have had a major heart attack within two weeks.

[IBWino]

47, 36, 87.

Hmmm... only 40 years left, and so many things I still want to do. I may need to ER sooner than I had planned.

[statsman]

Originally Posted by saluki9

For some reason, I trust this one a lot more NMFN: The Longevity Game

Insurance companies are pretty good at this stuff, although the results here are much less exciting.

The NMFN test says 88. The Real Age test says 87. I sense a pattern (and not a bad one).

[Nords]

Originally Posted by Khan

I'm a college student with no natural social skills, a Since You Asked column by Cary Tennis | Salon Life

Excellent summary. I really enjoyed the original "inner introvert" article.

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Originally Posted by CuppaJoe

I'm wondering if this is a popular misconception. It really doesn't pan out in my personal experience. Since (what are the stix?) 50% of first heart attacks are fatal, a goal is to get into treatment before it happens.

my point was not for just something that preventative care might help ward off. there are lots of situations where a partner might assist longevity. take falling off a ladder while working on the house, for instance.

a good friend lost his mom while she was living alone. fell face first onto a hard surface and died in her own pool of blood. maybe if someone was home to call for help she might have lived longer. that's all i meant.

[CuppaJoe]

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum

my point was not for just something that preventative care might help ward off. there are lots of situations where a partner might assist longevity. take falling off a ladder while working on the house, for instance.

a good friend lost his mom while she was living alone. fell face first onto a hard surface and died in her own pool of blood. maybe if someone was home to call for help she might have lived longer. that's all i meant.

Yeah, I guess they could help hold the ladder.. I'm afraid my point is that "my people" seem incompetent in a crunch, even the eagle scout and the buddies with medical training. I relate to a skit on "3 and a Half Men" where Charley doesn't notice his brother flying off the roof on an un-held ladder. (It's hard to have fun with this thread.)

Sorry about your friend's mom. That would be a clear-cut case of knowing it's time to call for help and to get the first aid thing going.

My uncle fell into his dinner and was gone before anyone noticed anything was wrong. Seems a better way to go than spending weeks in a hospital with tubes, etc.

[Calgary_Girl]

Biological age: 35 (36 in 12 days....yuck)
Real Age: 17.4 (ALMOST legal to drink....)
Life Expectancy: 91.6