Why did Sister André live to be 118?

Last month, the world's oldest living person, known as Sister André, died at 118 according to The Insider. While much credit has been given to her daily glass of wine, two other factors may be the biggest contributors to her longevity:

1) She worked until her 108th birthday (when blindness and other health problems became too much of a hindrance). The Blue Zone study found that centenarians tend to not "retire" and that the sense of purpose working brings them adds "7 years of extra life expectancy."

2) Being a nun, Sister André never had any children of her own. Nonetheless, she worked almost exclusively with orphaned children her entire (long) life. As Malcolm Gladwell describes in Outliers: The Story of Success, the extremely low incidence of disease with the Italian immigrants of Roseto, Pennsylvania — despite poor diet, chain smoking and heavy drinking — was attributed to caring for children over many generations. The Blue Zone likewise found that those who "invest in their children with time and love" reap the reward of a longer life.

Meaningful work and a big family — hard to sell that in a supplement bottle or vaccine needle.

Stay sane, love long,
John C. A. Manley

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story, the forthcoming All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of speculative fiction. Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber at: https://blazingpinecone.com/subscribe/