BE HAPPY — LIVE LONGER _ We’re told so often that hitting the gym and eating well will guide us to longer lives. Turns out keeping a healthy mind and embracing a positive outlook may be the real key to longevity, according to a study led by Harvard researchers. The study examined 70,000 women over eight years and found that those who were more optimistic had a significantly reduced risk of death from leading causes such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. In breaking down the numbers, researchers discovered the most optimistic women in the study were:
• 38 percent less likely to die from heart disease
• 39 percent less likely to die from stroke
• 16 percent less likely to die from heart cancer
• 52 percent less likely to die from infection
• 38 percent less likely to die from respiratory disease
Overall, the most positive women in the study were nearly 30 percent less likely to die from any of the ailments examined.
CAN YOU NAME ALL TEN COMMANDMENTS? _ A survey found Americans can name the seven ingredients in a McDonald’s Big Mac hamburger than the Ten Commandments. The survey (by Kelton Research) found 80 percent could name the hamburger’s primary ingredient — two all-beef patties — but less than 60 percent recalled the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” The survey also found just 45 percent could recall the commandment “Honor your father and mother” while 76 percent remembered the Big Mac ingredient lettuce, 75 percent sesame-seed bun, 66 percent special sauce, 62 percent pickles and 60 percent cheese. Even Americans who say they go to church once a week had difficulty naming all of the commandments.
THE YEAR PEOPLE TURN GRUMPY _ Being older than 52 is nothing to laugh about because that’s the age when we start becoming grumpy, according to a survey. The poll found those over 50 laughed far less than their younger counterparts and complained far more. While infants laughed up to 300 times a day, that figure had fallen to an average of six laughs by teenage years and only 2.5 daily chuckles for those over 60. Men were also found to be grumpier than women.
YOUR PASSWORD IS TOO SHORT _ Your passwords are likely too short. Experts remind us that eight character passwords can be broken in just over a minute. The standard these days is passwords that are at least 15 characters long. If you’re thinking, “How the heck am I going to remember a 15 character password?” experts suggests losing the pass ‘word’ idea and instead think of pass ‘phrases’ such as “(Capital) I (space) hate (space) passwords!” Make sure the phrases include at least one capital letter and special character, like an exclamation point.
