The Introduction and Chapter 1 outlined Dr. Lewis Terman’s 80-year study. Starting in 1921 and looking at around 1,500 people, Terman collected data that would later be used to analyze longevity in relation to health. The chapter focused on two subjects: Patricia and John. Out of all the participants, they both lived the longest lives. Researchers in The Longevity Project believe that poor health traits are not due to poor luck but are in relation to personality, family, work, and social relations. Thus, if your personality does not match the personality of someone who will live a longer life, one can attempt to alter it.
This discovery brought up a pretty large question for me. If your personality and social surroundings matter so much, how do so many people become successful rising out of a poor living condition? For example, my dad grew up in a family of alcoholics. His parents were rarely around and when they were, the house was filled with cigarette smoke and the strong smell of alcohol. My dad’s siblings all passed along at a young age along with his parents, most likely due to their poor health habits. Yet, it is incredibly common for children to adopt the personality traits and habits of their parents. My father, who may have many of the same traits, does not possess the habits and is very healthy. This would contradict their initial suggestion. My dad should be unhealthy if health does not come from just illnesses, but from personality, family, and social life. Thus, I am having a difficult time believing the initial statement made by the authors. Perhaps my dad is simply an exception to this rule.
Hi Alexis,
The question you raised, “If your personality and social surroundings matter so much, how do so many people become successful rising out of a poor living condition?” Is really interesting. My father grew up in a similar environment and like your dad, my dad does not possess many of the habits that his family possessed. I think that there must be exceptions to this rule. Now I am wondering what factors make an individual less susceptible to influence from their surroundings?
I agree with you on the fact that there is an exception to the claim the authors suggested. Although it is common for children to adopt the personality traits and habits of their parents, in some cases I believe that children who grow up in poor health environments develop habits that are the complete opposite from their parents because they want to be nothing like them (for example in the book, it said that Patricia’s parents got divorced at a young age but Patricia ended up happily married). Maybe people become successful rising out of a poor living condition from their own self-motivation. I think the authors’ argument is not as strong as they express it to be because there are several exceptions to their claim.