Introduction
In our unstable time, it is essential to be resilient and know how to replenish vital resources. When we experience anxiety, worry, and stress, cortisol builds up in the body, work productivity drops, and creativity and communication skills deteriorate significantly. In a state of stress, people cannot close themselves in because this can lead to disease development and a decrease in life expectancy, which only worsens with age. In light of the latter, the current paper reflects on Susan Pinker’s speech, “Secret of Long Life.”
Summary
In her speech, Susan Pinker presents the research results related to why people can extend their life expectancy. The combination of the interviews with the citizens of the distant Italian village and the previous research allowed Susan to highlight the importance of communication as one of the significant life-expectancy-increasing factors (Pinker, 2017, 08:42). The speaker emphasizes that it is essential for older adults to be surrounded by their relatives and friends. Even short communication during daily routine can increase the person’s life. The hormones that are exuded during the transmission can decrease the level of stress, which may result in the occurrence of various diseases.
Reflection on Content
The position presented by Susan is rational from two perspectives: psychological and physiological. It is more psychologically difficult to live through the diseases and mental challenges associated with the aging process. It would be more comfortable to eliminate stress actors by sharing problems with close people. The textbook highlights communication as one of the thirteen tips helping to achieve comfortable aging (Beyer & Lazzara, 2020). Communication in itself is an intellectual burden. Therefore, communication in the literal sense is an exercise for the mind and a way to slow down the development of age-related ailments such as Alzheimer’s disease. As for other diseases (for example, the cardiovascular system), the likelihood of their occurrence and development directly depends on a person’s emotional state.
On a narrower scope, by highlighting the importance of communication, the speaker connects with the following critical concepts presented in the textbook: healthy life expectancy (HLE), optimal aging, and integrity vs. despair. The former is directly related to the number of social interactions a person is exposed to during their life. According to Beyer and Lazzara (2020), the HLE is a part of general life expectancy that can be described as years of full health. Analogically to its general counterpart, HLE duration is influenced by the same factors, including lifestyle preferences and stress exposure. In this context, a stable circle of close relationships and a wider circle of everyday communication contribute to a more active lifestyle, simultaneously reducing the amount of endured stress (Beyer & Lazzara, 2020). In other words, communication is a powerful resource for health and longevity (Factors that affect life expectancy, n.d.). It is the reason why the so-called “blue zone” from the video has a much greater number of centenarians (Pinker, 2017, 00:52). Due to the architecture of the settlements, people live in constant close proximity with their relatives and neighbors, which results in high levels of social interaction.
Another major concept reflected in the video is the idea of optimal aging. Optimal aging refers to individuals with better than average health and social well-being (Beyer & Lazzara, 2020). The aging process is intertwined with the need to adjust to circumstances; the more the person is able to continue living actively and independently, the more optimal their aging will be (Beyer & Lazzara, 2020). Such selective optimization with compensation tends to be easier if a person has a wide social circle. Pinker provides examples of centenarians who are frequently attended by their relatives (Pinker, 2017, 02:46). This way, not only do they find protection from loneliness, but they are also able to retain daily activities they enjoy, which strengthens their health and contributes to social well-being.
Finally, communication plays a vital role during the life stage of integrity vs. despair. According to Beyer and Lazzara (2020), old age is a time of recollecting past experiences, summarizing, analyzing, and consequently drawing conclusions. The balance between acknowledging past accomplishments and regretting failures and missed opportunities is decisive in whether a person achieves integrity or despair. In this context, having solid social bonds can serve as vivid evidence of life accomplishments. For an older person, seeing their romantic partner, the result of their love represented by children and grandchildren, friends with whom they came such a long way – everything resembles joyful parts of past life (Pinker, 2017, 03:22). Therefore, people who retain these social bonds tend to fall for integrity instead of despair.
Conclusion
Communication for the elderly is essential for maintaining inner psychological and physiological well-being, which is reflected in the successful adaptation to old age and the satisfaction of the present state. It can increase HLE, align the aging process to its more optimal state, and lead to greater life satisfaction and acceptance. The speech by Susan Pinker emphasizes the essence of communication for increasing life expectancy, which other researchers can also support. There are many additional factors affecting life expectancy, the improvement of which, combined with everyday supportive communication, can add years to many people’s lives.
References
Beyer, A. & Lazzara, J. (2020). Psychology through the lifespan. Maricopa.
Factors that affect life expectancy: How long the average person lives, and why? (n.d.). Vital Reaction. Web.
Pinker, S. (2017). The secret to living longer may be your social life [Video]. TED. Web.