The Longevity Project

Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight-Decade Study

By: Howard S. Friedman, Leslie R. Martin

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

For years we have been told to make lists and obsessively monitor when we’re angry, what we eat, how much we worry, and how often we go to the gym. So why isn’t everyone healthy? Now based on the most extensive study of long life ever conducted The Longevity Project reveals what really matters across the long run—the personality traits, relationships, experiences, and career paths that naturally keep you vital. Gathering key new information and using modern research methods to study 1,500 Californians across eight decades, health scientists Dr. Howard S. Friedman and Dr. Leslie R. Martin bust many old dead-end myths. For instance,

<.li>People do not die from working long hours at a challenging job—many who worked hardest lived the longest
• Getting and staying married is not the magic ticket to long life, especially if you’re a woman
• It’s not the happy-go-lucky who thrive—it’s the prudent and persistent who flourish through the years. See why.

With self-tests that illuminate your own best paths to longer life, and a deeper scientific understanding than we have seen before of the true causes of long-term health, this audio book will change the conversation about what it really takes to optimize your chances for a long, healthy life.

©2011 Howard S. Friedman, Leslie R. Martin (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp

Interesting, but....

What I found the most interesting about this book was the debunking of commonly held myths, or clarifying that while something may be “good for you” it might not have a significant impact on your longevity.

The thing however that niggles at me with this and all longevity studies is that you can’t discount the times the people lived in. Don’t tell me that comparing someone’s life in the 40s with a similarly led life in the 90s won’t impact the results! How can you draw definite conclusions when within the study there exists a set of circumstances that were the norm 100 years ago but don’t exist at all today? For example: accepting that homosexuality is not a disease, understanding the impacts of PTSD and even simply as a society being aware if it’s existence. The Women’s Movement and Civil Rights Movement and their resulting impacts on peoples’ opportunities in life…

The book does mention that some of the core findings are being confirmed thanks to newer studies, so to me that makes the results more reliable.

A nice summary of a longitudinal study.

What did you like best about this story?

It can be hard to make medical studies sound interesting, but through the combination of personal stories and scientific hypotheses and conclusions, this book was very engaging from start to finish. What I found especially good was the telling of how the researchers went through the data.

Good info to know about

Overall, I recommend this listen. If you got here, you have some interest in the topic, so its worth it to go all the way and order it. Some dry spots, and dry case studies, but overall good info spread across the book. You'll get your first longevity key earlier on, and a good summary at the end. This description, summary, and modern update comment, to the previous 'longevity study' has some surprising outcomes. Now this book doesn't tell you how to go about changing yourself to be like the personality types that did the best (lived longest). That would take several other guides and a lot of effort. But this book does tell you the types and behaviors of those people that lived longer. Its always up to you to make changes accordingly. The book makes some suggestions for society and hopes that lessons learned will be incorporated, but I wouldn't wait for the outside world to do that. There is enough in this guide to help you in a more correct path to living longer. And the common pitfalls of incorrect thinking and info you think you already have. Plus its interesting. I'll wait a week or so then replay the summary. Go for it.

A Favorite

One of my absolute favorite Audible books. Well-written and well-read. This is one I will listen to again

Still Confused

The author has so many contradictions; I begin to wonder if he was confused himself. The only consistent thing I the book was that people who are congruent lives longer. I am convinced this is the point the author was trying to make as every other idea and study mentioned was either contradictory or confusing.