It is the secret we are all trying to unlock – how to live long and happy lives.
Science has found the key success, well, for men anyway.
In the United Kingdom, men in general are not expected to live as long as women – so maybe they need a little bit more help.
The average life expectancy for a man is 79, compared to women who are expected to live until 82 years old.
The most common age of death for men in the UK between 2012 and 2014 was 86, but women were living until 89 during the same time period, according to the Office of National Statistics.
The reason for women outliving men is down to genetics, according to Medical Daily.
Women have two X chromosomes, which provides them with a back-up if a mutation occurs.
However, men do not have that luxury – they only have one X chromosome to express all their genes.
Lifestyle factors can also impact how long a person will live.
Here are six ways a man can boost his life expectancy.
- Stare at boobs
It may seem like an inconvenience, or an invasion of privacy, to many women but staring at boobs creates a positive mindset in men.
The same effect occurs when they look at cute animals.
2012 study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at the effects positive thinking had on men’s health.
After a year, positive thinking had a powerful effect on health choices.
More than half of the patients with coronary artery disease increased their physical activity versus 37 percent in the control group, who were not asked to write down positive thoughts in the morning.
The same happened in men with high blood pressure.
More than 40 percent of those with high blood pressure followed their medication plan compared to 36 percent in the non-positive thinking group.
- Have lots of sex
What every man wants to hear, but there is a good reason for it.
A study in the BMJ found sex could decrease a man’s mortality rate by as much as 50 percent.
It is all down to sex promoting physical well-being, as well as being a stress reliever – which can help reduce the likeliness of illness.
Not to mention sex releases serotonin, the happy hormone, which makes us feel better overall.
In the study, life expectancy increased by three to eight years in the group who reported more orgasms. - Get married
Not something everyone would have thought – especially those who refer to their wife as their “ball and chain”, but married men do live longer.
But it also depends on the age they get married.
A survey or more than 127,000 Americans found men who got married after they were 25 were likely to live longer than those who married young.
Researchers have questioned whether healthy men are more likely to marry than men with health problems, but unhealthy men actually marry earlier, are less likely to divorce, and more likely to remarry after divorce or being widowed than healthy men.
Others have wondered whether living with another person has health benefits.
But it seems to be both. - Have kids
It seems like a natural progression, really.
Men who marry and have kids live longer than those who don’t.
A study in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health found that when parents reached age 60, the difference in life expectancy was two years for men and 1.5 years for women.
By the age of 80, men with kids were expected to live eight months longer than those without kids.
Researchers pondered whether those without kids lived an unhealthier lifestyle than those with kids.
- Be responsible
A sense of responsibility can do wonders.
A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology discovered older people in nursing homes who were given a plant to care for had improved socialisation, alertness and general function.
Perhaps that is why having kids is good for you.
Other groups in the nursing home received plants their nurses cared for, but 18 months later half as many residents who cared for the plant themselves had died. - Get a “dad bod”
Most men gain a bit of weight after they have kids, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
A book, called “How Men Age,” argues tubby men are less likely to suffer a heart attack or prostate cancer and are more likely to invest their time in their children.
Auhtor Richard G. Bribiescas says their increased fat levels also makes them more attractive to women – which will help with the above tips.
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