Fifteen easy ways to live longer (and what to stop doing now)
From laughing out loud to eating chocolate daily, researchers say that these ordinary activities could help you outlive your peers.
Want to live longer? A recent study by scientists at the University of Edinburgh has found that being organised and hardworking could be the key. The study, published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, found that those who described themselves in questionnaires as lively, organised, conscientious, responsible and helpful to others were more likely to live longer. In contrast, those people who were neurotic or worry-prone were considered to have a high mortality risk.
But these aren’t the only traits and approaches to life that could boost longevity. Other researchers have found that simple actions and habits many of us perform daily without a second thought could quietly be adding years to our lifespan. Here are some of them.
1. Have at least two cups of tea a day
Last month a team of cardiologists from Nanjing University in China reported that drinking ten cups of black tea a day – about 1.2 litres – could cut the risk of heart disease by up to 16 per cent. However, other scientists reporting in the Annals of Internal Medicine have shown that just two cups a day is linked with a lower risk of early death. Coffee drinkers don’t miss out: a University of Southampton study shows three or four cups of coffee a day could significantly reduce the chance of an early death. “Both tea and coffee are packed with antioxidants,” says Rhiannon Lambert, registered nutritionist and author of The Science of Plant-based Nutrition. “Just make sure you don’t add milk and sugar.”
2. Gardening is good for the brain and longevity
Last year a study from Edinburgh University found that gardening is good for maintaining cognitive function as we age and also helps to support longevity, according to a review in Clinical Medicine. Sir Richard Thompson, of the Royal College of Physicians, said that gardening helps to reduce stress and offers a sense of accomplishment and purpose, all of which promote longevity.
3. Take a vitamin D supplement to preserve your telomeres
At this time of the year, as sunlight diminishes, the UK government recommends all of us take a daily supplement of vitamin D to stay healthy. It will also pay off in the longer term, with researchers reporting recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that taking 2,000iu (50mcg) a day of vitamin D helped to preserve the length of telomeres, the DNA caps at the ends of chromosomes that protect against cell death, and could prove a “promising strategy” for countering biological ageing.
4. Floss daily – gum disease is linked to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease
Brenda Heaton, associate professor of health policy and health services research at Boston University, found in her research that the more severe the gum disease and inflammation present in participants, the higher their risk of dying at a younger age. “Death arrives earlier for those who have periodontal [gum] disease,” Heaton said. Gum disease has been linked with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Flossing daily is a crucial way to keep gums healthy. “Brushing alone only cleans three of the five surfaces of our teeth, so using floss or interdental brushes before we pick up our toothbrush is hugely beneficial,” says Dr Nigel Carter, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation. “It really helps to prevent gum disease by removing plaque from areas a brush cannot reach.”
5. Playing an instrument or singing slows brain ageing
Attending a live music concert once a fortnight might improve your mental health and even increase life expectancy by up to nine years, according to research conducted by Patrick Fagan, an associate lecturer in behavioural science at Goldsmith’s University. Playing a musical instrument or being in a band or choir yourself will slow brain ageing, according to psychologists at the University of Exeter. “Overall, we think that being musical could be a way of harnessing the brain’s agility and resilience, known as cognitive reserve,” says Anne Corbett, professor of dementia research, who led that study.
6. Housework can protect you from heart attacks and strokes
If you are not a fan of the gym, picking up the pace of your household chores may improve your chance of a longer life. That’s according to findings published this year in Circulation, in which scientists showed that those who did daily activities more quickly – such as walking, going upstairs, vacuuming or mopping – were up to half as likely to experience or die of a heart attack or stroke as those who took life more slowly.
7. See your friends face-to-face
“Cultivating a strong social network of family and friends is very important for your health in many ways,” says Dr Jenna Macciochi, a senior lecturer in immunology at the University of Sussex and author of Immune to Age, who recommends regular catch-ups in person. Indeed, psychologists reporting on friendships in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences found that adults in their fifties and older with strong friendships had better physical and mental health and were 24 per cent less likely to die prematurely over the eight-year study.
8. Eat chocolate every day
We can never tire of being told it’s OK to eat chocolate and the good news is that it has been shown to help us live longer, provided that it’s just a couple of squares of dark chocolate. People eating that amount (12g of chocolate a day) were found to have a 12 per cent lower risk of dying early than non-chocolate consumers in a 2022 study by experts at the US National Cancer Institute. “Dark chocolate contains polyphenols and antioxidants that are beneficial to gut and health,” Lambert says. “Stick to varieties that contain at least 75 per cent cocoa solids.”
9. Laugh out loud – it lowers your blood pressure
“People who laugh a lot enjoy lower blood pressure, improved concentration and lower levels of anxiety,” says Dr Jennifer Wild, consultant clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Oxford. “Positive humour is also linked to mental toughness and people who see the funny side of life’s obstacles are often more resilient to them.” A Japanese study in the Journal of Epidemiology found just that: daily frequency of laughter was an independent risk factor for all-cause early death. In other words, laugh more, live longer.
10. Be grateful – it lowers your risk of death
Last year Harvard researchers asked about 50,000 women between the ages of 69 and 96 how strongly they agreed with statements such as “I have so much in life to be thankful for” and “I am grateful to a wide variety of people”. Those with the highest levels of gratitude, who appreciated even the little things in life, were at a 9 per cent lower risk of death of any cause, according to findings in JAMA Psychiatry. “Gratitude is powerful: powerful for happiness, powerful for addressing at least minor depressive symptoms, powerful for improving health, powerful for protecting against premature death – and it is something that anyone can do,” said Professor Tyler VanderWeele, one of the study’s authors.
11. Take a trip to the theatre or a museum every month
A University College London study of people living in London found that those who visited a museum or the theatre once a month, or even every few months, were at a 31 per cent reduced risk of dying over a 14-year period. “Being involved and excited by the arts keeps and maintains your purpose in life,” said Andrew Steptoe, professor of psychology and epidemiology, who led the study.
12. Enjoy an occasional lie-in – it cuts your risk of heart disease
A weekend lie-in is certainly no replacement for a regular seven to nine-hour sleep routine, but occasionally catching up on shut-eye might be helpful. Data from more than 90,000 people in the UK Biobank that was presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference last year found that those who caught up on sleep at the weekend were 19 per cent less likely to have heart disease over 14 years than those who got the least sleep.
13. Eat a handful of peanuts to slow cellular ageing
Nibbling on a small handful (25g) of peanuts – provided that they are the plain, unsalted and unroasted variety – may help to slow down cellular ageing in your body, according to a recent study by University of Barcelona researchers in the journal Antioxidants. “Eating a range of nuts and seeds provides healthy fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals that promote longevity,” Lambert says.
14. Have more sex to boost longevity
The actress Emma Thompson said this year that sex “should really be on the NHS. It’s so good for you.” And she is right. A study from the Netherlands published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology found that enjoyment of sex was “positively associated with longevity” in a group of 1,042 55 to 84-year-olds. “Sex and intimacy are incredibly important for our long-term mental and physical health,” says Joyce Harper, professor of reproductive science at University College London.
15. Spend time by the sea
People who live near the coast have a longer lifespan than those who live inland, probably thanks in part to cleaner air, according to a new study from Ohio State University in the journal Environmental Research. However, just spending time at the coast is beneficial, according to a team of psychologists at the University of Vienna, who reported that “visiting the coast can still have substantial effects on population health”.
The four things to stop now
1. Eating crisps, biscuits and takeaways – it increases your risk of premature death
Eating too many ultra-processed foods (UPF) increases your risk of dying early, according to a 2025 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The authors said that 14 per cent of early deaths in the UK, where more than half of our calorie intake is from UPFs, could be linked to UPF intake.
2. Putting off exercise
Putting your feet up is not an option if you want a long and healthy lifespan. Adding more daily steps is a start, and a study from Australia in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that, for sedentary people, every extra hour of walking per week you do could add 6.3 hours to your life expectancy. “If the least active quartile of the population over age 40 were to increase their activity level to that of the most active quartile, they might live, on average, about 11 years longer,” said the study’s author Lennert Veerman, professor of public health at Griffith University.
3. That glass of wine – it has no health benefits
Even moderate drinking has been shown to have no significant benefits for longevity. A review at the University of Victoria in Canada that was published last year stated that many studies have created “misleading positive health associations” for moderate alcohol intake and an earlier JAMA Network Open paper found no evidence that moderate intakes lead to a longer life.
Government guidelines suggest no more than 14 units a week, the equivalent of about six pints of beer or seven glasses of wine, to stay healthy. But a Lancet study of 600,000 drinkers found that just five to ten drinks a week could shorten someone’s life by up to six months. Having 10 to 15 drinks a week could cut lifespan by between one and two years, the international team of researchers found.
4. Smoking – even the occasional cigarette
This habit has to go. Last year researchers at University College London warned in the journal Addiction that a single cigarette cuts life expectancy by 20 minutes, equating to nearly seven hours of life lost with every pack of 20 smoked. If a ten-a-day smoker quits, they could prevent the loss of a full day of life after a week, according to the study. “The sooner a person stops smoking, the longer they live,” said Sarah Jackson, principal research fellow of the UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group. “Quitting at any age substantially improves health and the benefits start almost immediately.”
The Times
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