I found chapter 8 to be frustrating because I do not think the researchers came to a conclusion that helps me understand my own activity level. One of the main takeaways from this chapter is that it does not matter how much exercise you received as a child, it matters if your activity level increases as you age. I think this finding is interesting, because I find this hard to believe. I believe that as a child you develop the healthy habits that you will continue to follow throughout your life. I also think the researchers should have included how an individual’s environment, social relationships, and SES all impact an individual’s activity level. I know in my family, exercise and fitness is something that we value very highly, but in some families that is not the case.
I did not like the section of chapter 8 that discussed jogging. I believe that the authors failed to mention all of the health benefits associated with running, such as: healthier heart health, stronger immune system, relieving stress and decreasing your risk for depression. The authors instead focused on how jogging is a waste of time or not as healthy as some may believe. I completely disagree, I have spent years running and I know that I feel and look my best when I am in the habit of running. Not everyone enjoys running, but I think that even going for a 15-minute run is beneficial both physically and mentally.
I did learn something new in chapter 8, I was not aware that millions of people take an aspirin tablet daily, in order to prevent a heart attack. I did not know that aspirin was able to have that effect on some individuals. I think the authors needed to include more research to support this claim, because some readers may begin to take aspirin daily, after reading that statement.
In chapter 9, I thought it was interesting to learn about the various sex differences in divorced, married, remarried, and single instances. I think it is interesting that marriage is such a different experience for men versus women. I also thought it was interesting how this chapter reintroduced the personality trait of conscientiousness, and how consistently married individuals were more conscientious as children. I like how this finding related back to chapter 2 and the idea that conscientiousness leads to longevity.
I think it is fascinating that health and well-being later on in life is predicted by only looking at the husband’s happiness in a marriage. Prior to reading this section, I believed that it would be the happiness of both the wife and husband.