Shopping Can Extend Your life? Who Knew?

By Erin Shea

U.S. Life Expectancy
1900 — 47.3 years old
1950 — 68.2 years old
2007 — 77.9 years old
Source: Center for Disease Control.
U.S. centenarians
2000 — 71,000
2050 — 834,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimate.

What’s the secret to living to be 100 years old? One study shows that shopping may actually help a person live longer.

A study found that elderly individuals who shopped every day are 27% less likely to die over a 10-year period, compared to people who shopped only weekly.

“Shopping captures several dimensions of personal well-being, health and security as well as contributing to the community’s cohesiveness and economy, and may represent or actually confer increased longevity,” said the researchers of the study, done in Taiwan and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Although it may be surprising to hear the positives of daily shopping, it does provide certain health benefits such as exercise from walking, social interactions and companionship, like shopping buddies, according to the researchers.

And while you’re out shopping, try to keep the pace up. According to research in the Journal of American Medical Association, walking faster may be an indicator of longevity.

Researchers said that adults who walk approximately 1 meter (3.28 ft.) per second can have a longer life expectancy than someone who walks at a slower pace, and that walking speed is a good indicator of a person’s overall health.

“A slow walking speed may be due to multiple causes including heart, lung, or nervous system problems, or even joint pain,” said the researchers of the study.

So if you want to live longer: shop often and walk fast.