Quantity and Quality

Online articles about ways to lengthen your lifespan are a dime a dozen. You know, the usual stuff: stop smoking, exercise, eat healthy, manage your stress, etc. But I’m a sucker, and always read these fluff pieces anyway, hoping for a fresh tidbit. Like this morning. There on Yahoo! Health was a “top ten” article proclaiming the best ways to extend your life, complete with projections about how many years each would add. “Strength training” for 20 minutes twice a week adds 1.8 years. “Floss daily” adds 3 years. Going to bed “15 minutes earlier” adds 3 years. And then there was this shocker: “have more sex with your partner” which adds a whopping 8 years to your life! Really? I checked to see if a man had authored the article. Eight years? For most Americans that’s more than a 10% lifespan bonus. Add years and fun! Sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch? Actually, as it turns out, it’s not so much the sex as it is the satisfaction of a long-term monogamous relationship that counts most. So, maybe a woman really did write the article after all.