N. Raghuraman's column: Social connections will keep you as healthy as food and exercise

This Sunday I had the opportunity to read a long summary of a book, which is releasing on Tuesday, i.e. today. Reading it reminded me of some of my relationships. My great-grandmother lived for 104 years. His son, my grandfather, lived to be 96 years old. His eldest son, my maternal uncle, is also 91 now, and I met him in Chennai two weeks ago. There are also a few other siblings in the family, who are in their 80s. But I know these three people because I've been with them and I know some of their habits. Wondering why you read about my relatives whom you don't even know? That's because Ezekiel J. Emmanuel, M.D. The book 'Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life' describes the exact same modalities through which the above relatives lived their lives. If there is a recipe for a long life, then to know it, you should read the lifestyle of these people, which is very simple. They knew these methods before science knew them. Here's his story. My great-grandmother never measured her steps, because she never got up from the bench near the door. Meaning, they didn't exercise. The mother of 11 children never knew the meaning of 'mindfulness'. But his sense of humor was amazing. She used to read the newspaper aloud from the masthead of the front page to the last line of the last page. She always sat outside the door and talked to every villager. Even from dogs and cows walking on the street. They would call those homeless animals and feed them and talk. The animals also sat as if they were their friends. My grandfather took this talkative nature further. In those days, when I used to go to some restaurant, within five minutes they would find a way to talk to the people sitting at the next table. They would ask them about their work, family, the city and their favorite things in that city. If no one was sitting at the nearby table, they would start talking to the waiter. What was interesting was that people responded to them. To the people, it was not an inquiry, but a friendly behavior. I remember once on a bus trip he even suggested to a young mother which doctor she should consult as her son was about to lose his front teeth. I was very embarrassed, but to my surprise, the woman thanked him while getting off. Perhaps he lived longer than his mother, but collapsed in the bathroom when he left the village house and moved in with his son (now 91). He died in this accident. He always used to say, 'No disease can come to me. Maybe that's why the whole village was his friend. Later, many scientific studies proved one thing: people who are happy and have friends are healthy even in old age. Social isolation is dangerous for longevity. So the way to have longevity is to talk to neighbors, invite a friend for tea, ask a taxi driver or grocer how your day is going or how the holidays went. Talk, sleep, and then talk. The trap is that loneliness is epidemic. It's like smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. Make your social connections strong enough that they start working like food and exercise.