To live a long healthy life, all you need is a hug, a bike and a crossword puzzle. I’m simplifying, but seemingly every week new research is published highlighting the health benefits of staying physically, socially, and mentally active.
Where these studies fall short is that they tend to look at each of these areas in isolation. A longitudinal study of men out of Harvard found that having strong social connections helped keep men alive and healthy well into their 80s and 90s. A study out of the United Kingdom found that doing crossword puzzles helps keep brains active and staves off cognitive decline. And there are no shortages of studies that link physical activity to physical health.
