Long-livers among villagers in Italy are distinguished by a positive attitude towards life, hard work, tenacity and strong ties with family, religion and native land. This was found out by scientists at the University of Rome La Sapienza and the California School of Medicine in San Diego, who published an article in the journal International Psychogeriatrics.
According to experts, the identified psychological characteristics are one of the factors of long life.
The study involved 29 elderly people and their 51 relatives from nine villages in the Cilento region of southern Italy. The oldest volunteers were 90-101 years old. The researchers assessed the indicators of mental and physical health, and also conducted interviews, during which the participants spoke about their personal lives, important events and beliefs.
It turned out that centenarians had better mental health than their younger family members aged 51-75. They demonstrated optimism, self-confidence, resilience to stress, and good decision-making skills. In addition, they were true to their convictions, successfully overcome life difficulties and did not care about what others thought.