Chapter 10 & 11

Chapter 10 evaluated the effects of stress, success, and satisfaction in one’s career to the effect on how long you live. They found that those who were “successful” in their careers but as well as happy with their jobs lived longer than those who were not successful nor satisfied. They found that stress, not so much with the tasks they had to complete, but more with the stress that accompanies interpersonal relationships had more of a detrimental impact on one’s longevity. Additionally, they emphasized that intelligence does not guarantee a successful career. From this chapter, I concluded that stress does not matter if you love what you do. A life lesson that I will carry with me throughout my life is a simple one from my mom: If you love your work, then it will never feel like work. I strongly believe that. I hope to become a child psychologist, something that will take up to 11 years of school. This has never deterred me because, if at the end of all the stressful work, I am going home happy with my career choice then I am doing something right.

In Chapter 11, the researchers outlined how religion plays into longevity and health. Overall, they found that, for men, religion did not really have an impact on longevity. Yet, for women who were more religious, they lived long lives. They speculated that perhaps this was not due to a higher power dictating their lives but more due to the inclination for their actions to represent the practices of the Bible. For example, they were surrounded by a loving, supporting community and were less likely to be involved in bad activities like drugs, smoking, or drinking. I am not religious. I was raised Jewish but my family stressed the idea of the culture of religion rather than the actual practices. This means to follow the morals and respect the community of the religious even if I don’t believe the stories. This chapter reassured me in the aspect of maintaining these morals. It is ok that I don’t believe in this higher power but as long as I keep my morals, I’ll be ok.

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