How To Become A Supercentenarian From A Healthy Aging Expert

Healthy aging expert Becca Levy, Ph.D., had the opportunity to interview supercentenarians (aka people 110 years and older) for her new book, Breaking the Age Code. And, well, she found some pretty common patterns, all of which she shares on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast. Below, find three of Levy's "extreme longevity" tips to reach supercentenarian status: 

The results? "We found that those who had taken in more positive age beliefs had a median survival of 7.5 years longer2 than those who had taken more negative age beliefs," she explains. Quite a big difference between those groups. 

And in terms of living to 110 plus, your age beliefs may have a profound impact, too. Levy also interviewed supercentenarians in Japan, specifically the longest living woman Kane Tanaka (who just died on April 19, 2022, at 119 years old). "She said she felt like she was in the best time of her life," Levy explains. And when Levy spoke to other researchers who were tracking extreme longevity in Japan, "positive beliefs about aging was a theme that kept on coming up." 

And giving back to the community, science shows, can affect your longevity: Specifically, acts of kindness (dubbed the "Mother Teresa effect3") can actually boost your immune response. "The idea of being generative, to feel needed, is a strength that goes up in later life," says Levy. "But it's also something that we can work on to find." 

In terms of how you seek out your purpose, though, that's up to you to decide. "[It depends on] what you enjoy and what draws on your strengths," Levy notes. "It could be anything from writing poetry to joining an activist group to coming up with a new form of exercise. So there's a lot of different ways that you can add [purpose] to your life." 

"Extreme longevity" is very much a thing, demonstrated by the number of supercentenarians Levy has interviewed for her book. While we can wax poetic on diet strategies and exercise tips to improve your life span, Levy would argue that the way you think about aging plays an even bigger role. In short: It may be possible to "think" yourself younger.