Personality Predictors of Longevity in Tokyo Centenarians

http://www.springerlink.com/content/a537x21j0j377756/

Do personality characteristics predict longevity? Findings from the Tokyo Centenarian Study

Journal AGE
Publisher Springer Netherlands
ISSN 0161-9152 (Print) 1574-4647 (Online)
Issue Volume 28, Number 4 / December, 2006
Category Research Article
DOI 10.1007/s11357-006-9024-6
Pages 353-361
Subject Collection Biomedical and Life Sciences
SpringerLink Date Thursday, November 30, 2006


Research Article
Do personality characteristics predict longevity? Findings from the Tokyo Centenarian Study

Y. Masui1, 3 Contact Information, Y. Gondo1, H. Inagaki1 and N. Hirose2
(1) Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
(2) Department of Geriatric Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
(3) Present address: 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan

Received: 6 June 2006 Revised: 6 October 2006 Accepted: 7 October 2006 Published online: 29 November 2006

Abstract To explore whether personality influences longevity we examined the personality characteristics of centenarians. We developed a new method that compares an actual personality test score for centenarians with a predicted test score for a 100-year-old, calculated from younger controls. The participants consisted of 70 cognitively intact Japanese centenarians aged 100–106 years and 1812 elderly people aged 60–84 years, all residents of Tokyo. The NEO five factor inventory (NEO-FFI) was used to assess the “big five” personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The results showed higher openness in both male and female centenarians, and higher conscientiousness and extraversion in female centenarians, as compared to controls. These results suggest that high scores in the specific personality traits conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness, are associated with longevity. We speculate that these personality traits contribute to longevity through health-related behavior, stress reduction, and adaptation to the challenging problems of the “oldest old”.

Key words centenarian - longevity factors - NEO-FFI - personality traits

Contact Information Y. Masui
Email: ymasui@tmig.or.jp

* * *

I thought the universal finding when it came to the big five was low neuroticism, a result that isn't seen here. There could be ethnic/cultural issues at play.

I guess there is still a lot of variation when it comes to long-lived people's personalities, but the key is to have less anxiety. So you may be conscientious, for example, but if it's motivated by anxiety about poor future outcomes rather than earnestness and optimism, it probably won't get you as far.

Centenarian Food Composition Analysis

The long version of the original study is a PDF file, which is available here:

http://www.cmj.org/Periodical/PDF/2001/2001101095.pdf

Here is a nice summary of it I found on some forum (since I can't copy and paste the PDF text):

Originally posted:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/archive/index.php/t-297866.html


Whoa182Tue, May-23-06, 00:06

I wasn't sure whether to post this as it is not low carb, but we are all looking for better health and centenarians don't get to their age without being in good health right? Some believe all carbs are pure evil, few believe that fiber is damaging to our health, and fewer still believe that vegetables are just poison!... Well the centenarians would disagree as they consumed an average of around 465g of them!

I figured that some of you might be interested in it at least... So here it is :thup:

A survey of the dietary nutritional composition of centenarians

To read the whole thing go here: http://www.cmj.org/Periodical/PDF/2001/2001101095.pdf

Abstract:

ObjectiveTo make a survey of the nutritional composition of the diets of centenarians.

Methods Thirty- four centenarians were selected as subjects. Retrospective surveys were made on the variety and amounts of food consumed and their nutritional composit ion. Physical examinations with laboratory tests such as cardiograms, ultrasoni c B rays, and blood, urine and hair tests were performed. Neutron activation te sting was done on hair content. The transmission turbidimetric method was used to measure apolipoprotein content.

Results The main food of the centenarians showed the characteristics of low calories, protein and fat but high fiber and mineral content. Laboratory results showed that the content of the elements of Cu, Se and Mn in hair was higher (P<0. 01) . Zn was normal. The apoA1/apoB100 ratio was higher than in the contro l group (P<0. 0I), and total cholesterol (TC) was lower than in the control group (P<0. 01).

Conclusions The variety of diet and its nutritional composition may be the main factors influencing not only the content of elements in body, but also the levels of apoA1 and apoB100, which may be helpful in preventing arteriosclerosis and forming and maintaining immunity. The diet of these centenarians might aid in preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and malignant tumors.

Some important parts:

- Diets were low in calories (1419k/cal), protein and fat, but high in fiber and minerals
- Vegetable intake was high
- -apoA1, apoB100, TC, HDL- C and LDL- C levels of centenarians are all lower than those of the control group
- It seems as though their healthy eating habits was the main reason for their longevity
and my fave

-the typical diet of Japanese centenarians shows sweet potato slices as their main staple food which is very similar to the diet of Chinese centenarians

I love my sweet potatoes! :hyper:


* * *

Here is something the poster left out: the Chromium level from the hair analysis was very low as well. It's interesting that even though chromium has been touted for its effect on blood sugar, it has also been shown to mutate mitochondrial DNA, which is the biggest no-no in longevity attainment, since mitochondria have not yet evolved a method for repairing its DNA. This is also why a methionine-restricted diet can be beneficial (perhaps contributing to why many centenarians seem to be vegetarianesque).

I love that sweet potato is a commonality between Japanese and Chinese centenarians. And look at the sheer quantity that they eat:

Okinawan Quick Summary - CNN Transcript

http://www.okinawaprogram.com/news/20041214_cnn.html

This is a transcript from a CNN morning show, courtesy of the above website.


Dr. Craig Willcox on CNN, American Morning

From CNN: American Morning

DEC-14-2004

The following is an edited* transcript from the December 14th broadcast of CNN's American Morning, with comments and corrections added by Dr. Craig Willcox, co-creator of the Okinawa Diet™ and co-authtor of The Okinawa Program and The Okinawa Diet Plan:

HEMMER: Time to page the good doctor. Sanjay Gupta all the way from Tokyo now. On the Japanese island of Okinawa, living longer has become a fact of life.

I will talk to Sanjay in a moment about that. First, though, some background from here in Japan and CNN's Atika Shubert.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Guess how old Makato Nakamatsu (ph) is? Seventy? Eighty? Ninety, maybe? Try 100 years old.

This sprightly great grandmother of 13 is just one of more than 800 centenarians living in Okinawa, the largest verifiable and healthiest concentration of 100 year olds in the world.

On the islands of Okinawa, diseases like cancer, diabetes, and hypertension are rare. Healthy seniors are seen actively at work fishing and farming, seemingly immune to old age.

Okinawa is home to the world's oldest and healthiest people and part of the secret seems to be right on this fishing boat. Elderly fishermen who work late into their lives and of course eat the daily catch. And that turns out to be part of the secret of the Okinawa fountain of youth: staying active and eating well.
That, according to Dr. Craig Willcox, who has studied Okinawa's centenarians for more than a decade.

DR. CRAIG WILLCOX, GERONTOLOGIST: I think they just came up with the right formula, Okinawa. They're doing a lot to either avoid or delay these diseases associated with aging.

SHUBERT: We asked Dr. Willcox to show us how the Okinawans do it. He took us to the market.

WILLCOX: Let's have a look at this. Wow. See that purple color?

(I was pointing out the lycopene content of dragon fruit as well as other Okinawan fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon and sweet potatoes, that are extremely high in carotenoids, anti-oxidants and essential vitamins and minerals - DCW.)

SHUBERT: First, eat lots of colorful fruits and veggies. That means carbs too, but unrefined. Brown rice or whole wheat.

(It is important to eat whole carbohydrates that are high in fiber and that have been refined as little as possible in order to maximize nutritional content as well as minimize the negative effects of unrefined carbs on blood sugar levels. Eating carbs low on the Glycemic Index as well as minimizing quick-release carbs in the diet will keep you healthy and slim throughout life (See pages 33-37 and 89-95 of The Okinawa Diet Plan as well as pages 92-101 of The Okinawa Program for a more in depth explanation of the importance of eating the right carbohydrates) - DCW).

WILLCOX: The traditional diet is very vegetable heavy. Over 70 percent of the daily color intake came from vegetables.
(The staple of the traditional Okinawa Diet was the sweet potato, a nutritional powerhouse and great source of unrefined carbohydrates. Also loaded with beta-carotene, B vitamins, C, E, calcium, potassium, iron and fiber. Over 200 case-control studies have shown that people who consume a diet higher in vegetables suffer from lowers rates of chronic diseases, including cancer, and live longer. - DCW).

SHUBERT: Second, eat moderate portions of protein, especially heart healthy fish and tofu. But also a surprising Okinawan favorite: pork. But just a little.
(The traditional meat in Okinawa was pork but its consumption was limited to ceremonial occasions. Thus, the Okinawan elders have consumed very little meat over the course of their lives. Even now their meat consumption remains less than a quarter of what most people eat in North America. - DCW).

WILLCOX: The way that this is prepared in a traditional Okinawan style would be to boil this down and keep pouring it off until you pour off all the fat.

SHUBERT: Third, follow Okinawan table etiquette. Eat until you are 80 percent full and no more. That keeps calories in check.

Is that the secret to Nakamatsu's exuberant good health? She's certainly happy to share her healthy lunch, but also recommends daily exercises. Apparently when you live past 100 you know some pretty good dance moves. And if you do all that, she says, she'll come visit you when you turn 100.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Okinawa, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: What a life for her. We're paging the good doctor now. Sanjay Gupta, at the CNN Center.

How are you, Sanjay? Good morning. Tell us about this fountain of youth. How you doing? GUPTA: Good morning. Yes, really interesting, obviously. Okinawa (is) a great place to look at as far as centenarians go. A couple of facts to point out.

First of all, with regards to Okinawa. So they live longer, lower rates of Alzheimer's. If they leave the island, those things go away. Why, is the question? Atika sort of mentioned a couple of these things.

(Okinawans consuming a meat-heavy diet in Brazil live 17 years shorter on average than those who consume the traditional diet in Okinawa. Okinawans who migrate to Hawaii and consume an East-West blend of foods, or East-West fusion diet tend to live almost as long as Okinawans in Okinawa - DCW).

Vigorous physical and mental exercise throughout their lives. A diet low in fat and salt. High in fruits and vegetables.

Also a couple of other interesting things that we found in our research on this -- soy, a significant part of the diet, 60 to 120 grams of soy daily and eat only until you're 80 percent full.

(Soy founds are high in flavonoids and people who consume high amounts of soy products have generally been found to suffer from lower rates of hormone-dependent cancers such as breast and/or prostate. Women who consume more soy have usually been found to have a decreased incidence of menopausal related symptoms such as hot flashes, as well as lower rates of osteoporosis - DCW ).

Atika mentioned this, it's called hara-hachi-bu, Bill, that's the name of it -- it's called eat only until you're 80 percent full. That's going to make you eat fewer calories. Really important.

(As we point out in The Okinawa Diet Plan, eating foods that are low in caloric density has been shown to increase life expectancy - DCW)

Also an important sense of social belonging. Everyone from the youngest in this community to the oldest in this community has a sense of place and is respected as such, Bill. All these things seem to have a factor as well.

(As we pointed out in our first book, The Okinawa Program, strong social support networks are associated with longevity--DCW)

HEMMER: Yes, is this exclusive only to Okinawa, Sanjay, or do you find if you put out the map of the world do you find other areas of the world where you see similar aging rates?

GUPTA: Well, Okinawa is one of the best, certainly, around the world, but there are other places around the world that have high concentrations of centenarians. Take a look: Okinawa topping the list but also Nova Scotia, Canada, for example. Sardinia, Italy as well.

(Okinawa has the highest age-validated centenarian population in the world at 47 per 100,000 population vs about 10 per 100,000 in the US. - DCW)

If you want to look around the world as far as life expectancy Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan all around 81. Japan as a country 81.

Canada 80, France 79. USA 77. China 72 and Botswana only 30. The reason it's so low in Botswana really has to do with high infant mortality rates there, Bill.

(These rates differ according to whose data you use but Japan comes out on top in very case. Of the Japanese, the Okinawans are the longest-lived at 78 years for men and 86 years for women on average. Botswana also is suffering from the AIDS epidemic and has lost approximately 10 years of life expectancy in the past couple of decades - DCW)

HEMMER: What about personality traits, Sanjay? Do you see any common link that would conclude any research as to why some people are living longer than others?

GUPTA: Yes, I mean, there are some significant personality links and this is probably one of the most interesting things about it. If you look at the personalities of people. Strong but flexible characters. They tend to be more dominant in terms of their personality.

Also a bit suspicious. Suspicious of those around them, sometimes. But they're very practical minded. And tend to be more relaxed in general. Another important thing that we found as well, Bill, is that the people who lived longer oftentimes had helpers or people that they associated with who were much younger than them. That was both their -- they got some help from those young people as well as sort of a passageway into being young themselves, perhaps making them live longer, Bill.

(As we pointed out in our first book, personality and longevity experts seem to agree that a positive outlook, as seen in optimistic, emotionally stable, and flexible personalities is a definite advantage for coping with stressful life circumstances. They tend to be emotionally resilient and strong-willed types. Through personality testing we found that Okinawan centenarians tended to score high in “self-determination” and “self-confidence” and low in “tension” and “time-urgency.” See pages 245-251 of The Okinawa Program for further information on personality and longevity. - DCW)

HEMMER: How about that woman in the story that Atika showed -- she was just vibrant -- absolutely.

Hey, thanks, Sanjay. Very interesting stuff. Eighty percent filled and then stop. Talk to you later. Oh, I like that too. We'll talk to you later.

Ogimi Okinawans Sleep Well, Eat Well, and Work Hard

http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20070908-24637.html

Living the good life, dying a 'good death'

Sat, Sep 08, 2007
The Straits Times


Speech by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan

LAST week, I spent some time in the Japanese island of Okinawa. It has a population of 1.4 million, largely concentrated in the capital city of Naha. But it also has a significant rural-sector population spread over 40 small towns and villages. I visited one such village, called Ogimi.

The village has a reputation as 'the village of long life'. It has the highest number of centenarians, adjusted for population, in Japan and, most probably, in the world. Out of 3,500 people, 1,050 are above 65 and 100 above 90. Among them, 16 are above 100: one man and 15 women.

Okinawa has 740 centenarians. In comparison, Singapore has over 500, but out of a much larger population of 4.5 million. What is particularly impressive about Okinawa and Ogimi is that 80 per cent of their elderly live independently, requiring no hospital or nursing-home care. They manage quite nicely on their own, with support from family and community and in close communication with those around them.

I visited Ogimi not to seek the secret of longevity. A local academic who has studied this subject and observed the villagers for years briefed me on his research. As genetic factors are beyond our control, his briefing focused on non-genetic factors, of which there are many. But he singled out three important ones that help explain the villagers' longevity.

First, their traditional diet: They eat more pork, more tofu, more dark green vegetables and more seaweed than other Japanese. And their salt intake is low, about half of Japan's national average and many times lower than in Western countries.

Second, they are physically active. They exercise a lot and keep active all their lives. They work for as long as there is work available. It is common to see some of the villagers continue to work into their 70s and 80s, even in laborious work such as farming and weaving.

When work is not available, they are committed to an active social life, in senior citizens' clubs, village events and volunteer activities.

Third, their active daily life in turn benefits their sleep at night. They sleep easily and while they do not sleep long, they sleep soundly with little interruption.

So this is the Ogimi secret to longevity: a healthy diet, an active life and good quality sleep. I had several longevity meals and also joined the villagers in their activities, of which there were many: folk dancing, singing, socialising or simply helping one another. The elderly are fiercely independent and are proud of their independence. The oldest woman is 106 and lives with her daughter who is 80. Although recently wheelchair-bound, that does not stop her from coming to the community centre to observe the village dancing and simply to socialise.

Given their diet and regular activity, the prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases is way below Japan's national average. Osteoporosis is also less of a problem, with the incidence of hip fractures at half the US rate. Unlike most elderly villagers in other parts of the world, the old folks in Ogimi walk with straight backs. I did not meet any hunchbacked residents.

We talked about the younger generation. They lamented the erosion of traditional village lifestyles and worried a lot about the bad influence of fast food. They prefer their 'slow food' tradition - prepared from fresh ingredients and cooked slowly to carefully remove the animal fat. They also practise 'hara hachi bu': eating moderately and only to 80 per cent full. The other 20 per cent, they believe, will only go to enrich doctors. We did not meet any who were obese.

Ogimi is, of course, not entirely a bed of roses. Among the 16 centenarians, three are bedridden, including the oldest man who, at 108, also suffers from dementia. I visited several nursing homes where the bedridden elderly were being served. Just like in some of our nursing homes, many seemed unaware of what was going on around them.

The difference is that their residents are one generation older. We met many grandparents who were in their 80s but still fit, looking after bedridden great-grandparents. The parents who form the third generation were, however, missing, having to work in cities. The children who could form the fourth generation are few in number, if any, as Japan is facing a rapidly declining birth rate.

Diet and Mortality Patterns in Japan

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/116/16_MeetingAbstracts/II_789-a

(Circulation. 2007;116:II_789.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Population-Based Risks for CHD and Mortality
Abstract 3485: A Japanese Diet and 19-Year Mortality: NIPPON DATA80.
Yasuyuki Nakamura1; Hirotsugu Ueshima2; Takehito Hayakawa3; Yoshikuni Kita4; Robert D Abbott5; Akira Okayama6

1 Kyoto Womens Univ, Kyoto, Japan
2 Tomonori Okamura, Takashi Kadowaki, Shiga Univ of Med Science, Otsu, Japan
3 Fukushima Med Univ, Fukushima, Japan
4 Shiga Univ of Med Science, Otsu, Japan
5 Shiga Univ of Med Science &Univ of Virginia Sch of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
6 National Cardiovascular Cntr, Suita, Japan

Objectives:

Although dietary patterns are associated with death from several causes, few studies have examined the association between Japanese diet and mortality outcomes.

Methods:

We analyzed the relationship between a healthy Japanese diet and all-cause and cause-specific mortality using the database from NIPPON DATA80. At baseline in 1980, data on history, physical examinations, and blood biochemical measurements were collected on study participants aged 30 years and over from randomly selected areas in Japan. A nutritional survey was conducted using food-frequency methods. We defined a measure of a healthy Japanese diet based on 7 components. They included egg intake ≤ 2 eggs/week, fish intake ≥ once in 2 days, meat intake ≤ 2 times/week, tsukemono (preserved roots or leaves of seasonal vegetables) intake ≥ once per day, infrequent intake of soup with noodles, use of low salt soy sauce, and occasional drinking. If a dietary component was part of a typical daily diet, it was scored as one and zero otherwise. Thus, the total Japanese diet score ranged from 0 to 7, with 0 being least healthy and 7 being most healthy. Participants were divided into approximate tertiles of dietary scores (0 –2, 3 and 4 –7 scores). After excluding participants with co-morbidities, we followed 9,086 participants (44% men) for 19 years.

Results:

There were 1823 all-cause and 654 cardiovascular deaths during the follow-up. With the dietary score group 0 –2 serving as a reference, the Cox multivariate adjusted hazard ratios for groups with score 3 and scores 4 –7 for all-cause mortality were 0.92 (95% confidence intervals: 0.83–1.04) and 0.78 (0.70 – 0.88) (trend P < 0.0001). For cardiovascular mortality they were 0.91 (0.75–1.10) and 0.80 (0.66 – 0.97) (trend P = 0.022).

Conclusion:

Adherence to a healthy Japanese diet was associated with an approximate 20% lower rate of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. While Japanese are exceptionally long-lived, placing greater emphasis on the intake of foods that are low in salt could increase longevity in Japan further.

Bergen County Asian Women Longest Lived Group In U.S.

A September 12, 2006 article in the NY Times first reported on the demographics of longevity according to a Harvard study:

"Many other national studies have shown disparities among races, with Asian-Americans living longest, followed by whites and Hispanics, and blacks having the shortest life spans.

But the Harvard researchers highlighted the figure for Asian-American women in Bergen County, an average life expectancy of 91.1 years — a number that Dr. Murray called extraordinary, even in light of the longer life spans of Asian-Americans and women. It was the highest average the researchers found anywhere in the country for any racial subgroup in a county with a large enough number of deaths to be considered statistically significant."

A follow-up story, originally available at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/nyregion/14asians.html, ran two days later to explore the lives of some members of this long-lived group:

Study Counts the Years, Asians Count the Reasons
By TINA KELLEY
Published: September 14, 2006

Marko Georgiev for The New York Times

Free time at the Long Life Adult Day Care Center in Cliffside Park, N.J., where activities include line dancing, karaoke and mah-jongg.

CLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J., Sept. 13 — Son Man Soon, 93, spends her afternoons at the Long Life Adult Day Care Center watching a handful of women her age learn line dances, or singing along, karaoke-style, with Korean words on a large television screen. Some of her peers play mah-jongg or pool, some knit, and later, they enjoy meals of soybean sprout soup and kimchi.

“Around here, these people, they don’t die,” Ms. Soon said, laughing. She lives by herself in a nearby apartment, and, aside from occasional trouble with her legs, considers herself healthy.

Around here, in Bergen County, Harvard researchers have found a surprising pocket of longevity. Asian women here live longer than any other ethnic subgroup of people in the nation, according to federal statistics. Their average lifespan is 91.1 years, compared with 77.5 for the general population, 86.7 for Asian women nationally, and about 80 years for Bergen County as a whole, a figure that places it first in the Northeast.

“I believe they got better medications and food, and they’re comfortable,” Ms. Soon said through a translator, referring to the Korean women in their 80’s and 90’s surrounding her. “Their kids are all well educated.”

In dozens of interviews here, at a nursing home in Paramus, a Japanese market in Edgewater and a center for the aged in Fort Lee, elderly women from Korea, China and Hong Kong attributed their longevity to a healthy diet, belief in God, and their close-knit communities in the well-off suburbs that hug the Hudson River and the New York State border. They also said the conveniences of life in these towns, and the proximity to top-notch medical care, helped ease the path to their next birthdays.

For the Korean population, however, the average might be slightly skewed, since some Koreans, at least, count their age from conception and base it on the lunar year, factors that may not have been accounted for in census figures, one of the study’s authors said. Pun Park, for example, was born in 1911 but gave her age as 97.

“I didn’t eat beef or meat, and I usually take my main dish as vegetables,” said Ms. Park, who energetically offered apples and oranges as she recounted a life so full of farming, raising four children and doing household chores that it allowed little time for sickness.

The average life expectancies were calculated by researchers who monitored slices of the population — say, 80- to 85-year-olds — to see how many survived over a period of time. The data provides insight into how long a typical person in a specific place or ethnic group who is born today can be expected to live.

The Harvard researchers found Asian women in other places to have even longer life expectancies, but their numbers were too small to be statistically significant. In Bergen County, according to the 2000 census, there are more than 48,000 Asian women. The study appears in the new issue of the journal PLoS Medicine.

Majid Ezzati, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and one of the study’s authors, said that Asians as a whole have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver disease. Some of the risk factors for those diseases, such as smoking, binge drinking, obesity and high cholesterol, are less prevalent in the Asian community. But exact causes of longevity remain a mystery.

“It’s always a lot harder to explain why somebody lives long than why they don’t,” Dr. Ezzati said. But the women, most of whom immigrated as adults, some when they were already grandparents, were willing to guess why.

“I think it’s because their minds are comfortable,” said Hwang Song Gi, 78, “because every day they have a schedule, with lunch at the same time, and dinner, and exercise.” She is a regular at the Long Life center and goes to church three times a week, and said the government provides for her generously.

“If I’m sick, the health care is coming over and taking care of me,” she said. “We’ve got better quality health care than in other countries.”

Strong families also play a role, said Betty Lee of Franklin Lakes, who was taking her mother, Ching Lin, 88, to lunch at the food court of the Mitsuwa Marketplace, which sells trays of gelatinous Japanese sweets along with shelves full of vitamins, groceries, and appliances.

“They like to stay with the families,” she said. “With their kids, they could live longer. If they went to a nursing home they would be lonely to death.” Her mother, who is Chinese, has a fixed daily schedule, with tai chi at 5:30 a.m., and three visits from relatives throughout the day.

Hyun W. Lee, 77, of Palisades Park, said Asian women live longer in part because of their faith. “They forgive and trust and try not to do bad things,” said Ms. Lee, who goes to the True Light Presbyterian Church in Teaneck. “And they are thankful to God.”

And there are excellent parks in Bergen County, she pointed out. “Everything here is much better than in other countries,” said Ms. Lee, who has also lived in Korea and Europe and enjoys swimming and dancing several times a week.

Margaret Leung, 72, who is originally from Hong Kong and was painting with watercolors at the Richard A. Nest Senior Center in Fort Lee, said she suspected that Asian women may live longer because they are generally happy.

“I don’t think about my age,” she said, recounting how she still enjoys golfing with her husband, and traveling to her homeland. “I don’t feel old. I try to feel young all the time.”

Yet many of the women said they had no burning desire to make it to the century mark.

At the Korean Long Term Care Service at Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, where the beds are low to the floor and the artwork on the wall tends toward watercolors and calligraphy, Myung Soon Kim, 93, said, “I’ve lived long enough, oh, my gosh.”

Ms. Kim’s only complaint — the only medical complaint, anyhow — is a little high blood pressure, and she attributes her impressive age to the way she eats a little at a time, “mainly fresh salads and vegetables.”

Back at the Long Life center, Ms. Soon said her children “go to church and pray for me to live a little more time.” But she would rather they not go to the trouble. “It’s about time to go to heaven,” she said.