How to Live Well Past 100 Years

Many of us are familiar with the reminder, “Life is short.” Not so, for some people. According to the members of the Centenarians’ Club, the experience of living past 100 depends on quality of life.

The Century Club

Lia Araújo et al. (2021) studied a sample of 121 centenarians, examining attitudes and life satisfaction at an advanced age.[i] They began by acknowledging that one predictor for survival into ripe old age is a will to live—a factor that transcends gender, age, or comorbidities. Yet they also note that at an advanced age, life satisfaction and positive attitudes are tempered by longing for death. They sought to add to existing data by exploring the factors associated with centenarians' will to live.

Of their sample, 31.4% expressed a willingness to live longer, 30.6% did not, and 38% had no clear position on the matter. Yet they found that participants’ answers depended on the presence of other factors. The most common factors cited as reasons for reluctance to live longer were uselessness, loss of meaning annoyance, loneliness, and disconnection. Factors associated with being willing to live longer were good health, positive valuation of life, having a confidant, and reduced frequency of pain. Reference to God, however, was also mentioned by centenarians in all three groups.

Divine Providence and Desire to Live

Significantly, almost all study participants justified their lack of answer about continuing to live by mentioning God, stating that their time remaining was not in “their hands,” but out of their control. Araújo et al. note this is consistent with the belief that a sense of control “through the sacred” may arrive when life appears to be out of control. They note that older individuals who accept declining control over their environment and focus instead on an ability to control their own internal states and behaviors have better adjustment as they age. This group had a satisfaction with life score approximating the group who were willing to live longer.

Regarding the reference to God also being present in the other two groups, Araújo et al. note that religion and spirituality are important within the lives of older adults, as a method of finding meaning later in life. It is therefore associated with how long someone desires to live. They recognize that studying centenarians has confirmed the positive impact religion and spirituality have on well-being, a factor that has heightened significance within members of this age group who may lack to basic resources. Prior research has also found that religiosity was a major theme driving adapting and coping for centenarians.

Factors Impacting Living Well After 100

Regarding the specific factors that impact enjoyment of life in later years, Araújo et al. found many that we might expect: health, including the frequency of pain; social life, including having friends and confidants; and well-being—having a positive valuation of life. Accordingly, they note that the will to live depends on both external and interpersonal dynamics, in terms of having social networks, good health. as well as healthy self-perceptions.

Araújo et al. also found it significant that certain conditions did not significantly impact the will to live. These included health conditions, fatigue, and capacity to function. This is good news, suggesting that older adults facing physical challenges may nonetheless be about to maintain a state of subjective well-being.

Araújo et al. recognize that in advanced age, some purposes in life become more difficult to fulfill, such as creating and pursuing future goals or feeling useful—variables that are important, specifically as they relate to the unwillingness to live. On the other hand, they note that the will to live creates strong, direct effects on factors relating to subjective well-being such as satisfaction with aging and life.

The Enduring Satisfaction of Social Life

Social factors contribute to meaning in life among an elderly population, with relationships and sources of support of particular utility to centenarians. Araújo et al. note that at this advanced age, many people have lost friends and relatives, which reduces one’s social and familial circle. Yet in their study, the only social variable they found to be significantly linked with will to live was the number of friends participants had as confidants. They conclude that apparently, for this age group, the value of social networks is one of support rather than size. They note that having a confidant is a way for centenarians to compensate for loss and enhance well-being. Araújo et al. also note that, conversely, social disconnection and loneliness decreased the will to live, and made people feel more like a burden.

Apparently, living well past 100 depends on living with faith, family, and friends, appreciating the richness of the past, and celebrating every positive aspect of the present.

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