“Stressful events didn’t predict future health, either. “Some people had a lot of stress, but aged very well,” says Vaillant. “But how you deal with that stress does matter quite a bit.”
In fact, rather than obsessing about your cholesterol or even the genetic hand you were dealt, the Harvard study found that you’d be better off becoming preoccupied with the following factors that turned out to be most predictive of whether you’d move successfully through middle age and into your 80s:
Avoiding cigarettes. Good adjustment or coping skills (“making lemonade out of lemons”). Keeping a healthy weight. Exercising regularly. Maintaining strong social relationships (including a stable marriage). Pursuing education”
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