National Geographic says people over 100 handle stress better than younger people. (1) It didn’t cite references though. It made me wonder did they really study this, or did someone just ask their great-grandmother knitting by the window if she gets stressed and she said, "Nah, not while I’ve got my yarn and a cup of tea."
It also made me wonder, how would you study stress in people over 100? It’s not like many of them are hanging out at the mall. Only .03% of the US population is over 100. Where do they find the centenarians? In Florida?
At first, I thought “Duh, anyone who is retired should be able to handle stress better. Don’t retired people have less stress?” They don’t have a hectic commute, performance reviews to worry about, demands from kids (well, maybe different demands), and no stress about what to wear. Every day is like Casual Friday.
But my friends screamed at me, “Are you crazy? Retirement has it own stresses. Have you forgotten about how stressful it is to squeeze in all your doctor’s appointments and manage your meds? Or coordinating your appointments with your spouse’s appointments? Hubby says, “You name a body part, I have an ologist for it.” That’s a lot of appointments.
And if your day isn’t filled with doctor appointments you have to remember where you put the keys, wallet, and remote control.
Hearing decline can cause stress because you don’t hear or mishear what someone says. There’s the grandma who relates her dismay about what to tell her grandson who asked, “Grandma, do you have Jesus?” She wasn’t sure what to answer because she knew her daughter didn’t want her to discuss religion with the boy. But he kept asking. Later that day he opened the cabinet door and pulled out a box of Cheez-Its. “I found them grandma!” (2)
And we have to cope with older bodies. No matter how we try to stay fit, we seem weaker and stiffer. People tell me they can’t put on their socks anymore. One friend said she’d given up on socks and just wears slip-on shoes. Another confessed, “The grab bar in the bathroom is my new best friend.”
And zipping up a dress. If the zipper is on the back, forget it. That’s a two-person job. One couple now refers to this as “team dressing,” which sounds cute until you realize it’s not by choice.
We all have some memory loss that comes with aging and some of us take care of spouses that have dementia.
So I guess retirees still have a lot of stress; just different stress. But I got carried away with listing the stresses of retirement. My concern was how Nat Geo knew people over 100 could handle stress better, so I searched for studies.
Google AI says centenarians tend to have more resilience, adaptability, and a positive outlook. But which came first: do they have these traits because they are over 100 or are they over 100 because they have these traits? The study claims the latter. The centenarians have developed effective coping mechanisms such as mindfulness, relaxation techniques, or other strategies that help them manage stress. Of course, genetics also helps. (3)
Another study looked at the physical and mental health of 29 people aged 90 to 101, from Italy’s Cilento region, an area known for people older than 90. (2) The study found that even as people’s physical health deteriorated, mental health quality remained high. Things like happiness and satisfaction with life went up, and levels of depression and stress went down.
Of course they were happier and had less stress – they live in Cilento near the Amalfi Coast. (4) They sip Sangiovese wine while sitting on the hillside looking at the Mediterranean. And eat great Italian food. The area is known for local specialties like buffalo mozzarella, fresh seafood, and olive oil, paired with excellent wines from nearby vineyards.
They’re not dodging golf carts driven by people with cataracts in Florida.
But here’s the thing: maybe it’s not the location that makes them resilient—it’s their ability to laugh at the chaos, adapt to the wrinkles (literal and metaphorical), and keep moving forward, socks or no socks.
So, take a deep breath, adjust your grab bar, and remember: stress is inevitable, but how do we handle it? That’s the magic. And if all else fails, just mishear what someone says—it’ll give you a great story to laugh about later.
References
Your Brain – 100 Things You Never Knew, National Geographic, 2023.
adapted from a story in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Laughter is the Best Medicine, Amy Newmark
Amanda MacMillan, People Who Live to 100 Have These Traits in Common, Time magazine, December 13, 2017.
Exploring Cilento Italy, The Best-Kept Secret South of Naples, Walks, October 6, 2024
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