It is now official. Recent research has discovered the single most important thing which definitely adds years to our life and it is not what you might readily believe. It is a little surprising, in fact. However, in discovering this key to longevity, they also uncovered other essentials which extend our existence and explain why some people are more prone to die earlier than others.

We all would like to live as long as possible, but most people die between 60 and 70 years old. Yet we have the capacity to live until 150 years old, at current trends, with greater care of ourselves. Take the UK population. If you live in Manchester, in the North, you are likely to live, on average, for 10 years LESS than someone in the South or in London. That's an awful lot of years to lose just because of where you live. Think of all the things you could enjoy and achieve in those 10 years that you wouldn't have! Furthermore, throughout the UK women outlive men, on average, 8 years more perhaps because men tend to be more stressed, talk less and repress their feelings. Thus they become emotionally handicapped with a lot of frustrations through the lack of communication and circle of friends. This tends to sap their health, their feeling of inclusion and their capacity to cope.

The Top 5
So what are the top 5 things which keep you living longer? In reverse order, they are the following:
5. NUTRITION: If you feed your body well, and in moderation, you extend your life even more. Your body is not a machine. It is a finely honed temple for our life here on earth. If you insist on feeding it the wrong foods, having too much alcohol, smoking or taking drugs, which are all bad for it, then it cannot serve you as long as it might serve someone else. You imagine a beautiful temple that offers us everything we want for our survival, then violating it with all kinds of things which it cannot cope with. Sooner or later, that temple will not be able to function the way it was meant to. The only way out is to develop coping mechanisms in the form of illnesses or to pack up completely through death.

4. HEALTH: Of course, the best nutrition means greater health. It does not mean we will never get ill or nothing will happen to us. What being healthy gives you is a much greater chance of being fit and enjoying life at your peak. Money cannot buy health but it can help us to keep healthier through the best medical care and looking after our bodies. So being healthy is extremely important for giving us those extra years. Our capacity to cope with life's ups and downs is greatly increased and our very survival is affected by the kind of health we have.

3. WEALTH - This does not just mean having a lot of money, though it helps. It means the way we THINK: whether in lack, loss or inadequate terms, which then restricts our enjoyable experiences, our achievements and flow of money. Or whether we see life as an exciting journey where we will have lots of opportunities offered to us which we can use to our advantage. How we think and evaluate our life's prospects is very important to the amount of wealth we actually have, and the more we think in positive terms, the richer we get in life and material things because we will be willing to take the necessary risks. Obviously, if we have little to worry about financially, we are going to feel less stressed which then affects the kind of health we enjoy. But good health is very important for a good and long life.

For example, back in the UK, one of the richest areas of it is Kensington and Chelsea in the heart of London. There male residents can expect to live, on average, of 82.2 years. Move northwards to Glasgow City in Scotland, and the men there can only manage 69.9 years, on average (Source: National Statistics). That is more that 12 years less for Glaswegians!! It really is frightening. So money is very important in extending your life because one can live more comfortably, with less exposure to illnesses and enjoy better health through more adequate nutrition. But this health starts from our mindset and if we think we are poor, and likely to remain poor, we're doomed to a shorter life.

Emotional Security
2. SOCIAL NETWORK: Researchers have found that the friends and family networks we have are the second biggest factor in giving us a longer life because they give us emotional security. People who are isolated tend to fret or whinge themselves to death because they lack the essential life elements of feeling significant, valued, wanted and included. Lacking in role models, mentors, friends, relations and people to affirm them, their existence is a lonely one which keeps them stuck in a isolated negative groove without regular affirmation of the wonderful people they are. Having a social network of people to value, affirm and encourage us is the second greatest factor in keeping us alive longer. It affirms us as significant and valued beings, it keeps us connected to others in an inclusive way and it feeds our will to live. We enjoy our life more and appreciate it when we are surrounded by people who care or who value our presence. So it seems that networks like MySpace, Facebook etc are now playing a vital role in extending our lives than even we could guess.

And now, for the big one....
1. EDUCATION: A person who has been educated, at least to high school level, will live longer than high school drop outs, simply because a certain level of education gives the individual the skill to make decisions, to plan and to cope with the rigors of their life. Knowledge is power but applied knowledge changes lives. People with little education lack the means to control their lives or enrich it; they find it hard to run a business or choose the right path for themselves in life and so are likely to remain frustrated, plagued by ill health, miserable and complaining than others who know what they need to do to improve their circumstances.

In 1999 a Columbia University graduate student, Adriana Lleras-Muney, was casting about for a topic for her doctoral dissertation in economics. She found that three economists noted the correlation between education and health and gave some advice: If you want to improve health, you will get more return by investing in education than by investing in medical care. When her own analysis was finished, which involved extending the school life of certain youngsters and comparing them to those who left school early, Dr. Lleras-Muney says, "I was surprised, I was really surprised." It turned out that life expectancy at age 35 was extended by as much as one and a half years simply by going to school for one extra year.

So, the one social factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in every country where it has been studied is education. It is more important than race and it obliterates any effects of income. "Year after year, in study after study, says Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging, "education keeps coming up." And, health economists say, those factors that are popularly believed to be crucial. Money and health insurance, for example, pale in comparison.

As other researchers conclude, what may make the biggest difference is keeping young people in school. A few extra years of school is associated with extra years of life and vastly improved health decades later, in old age. Education, being the key to a longer life is not so surprising. If we know what we have to do to enhance the benefits to our existence, through learning and knowledge, we are more likely to do it. For example, cigarette smoking has been proved to be a class activity. Most professional people do not smoke because they are aware of the consequences for themselves and their family. People in the other classes, who are likely to be less well educated, are less convinced and so are less likely to worry about the risks or to pay attention to them.

So there you have it. Education is the key to extending our lives. The key question now is: How is your level of education and its potential for enhancing YOUR life?