Want to live long and prosper? Step one would seem to be: make sure you "live long."

We've seen recently that drinking lots of coffee makes a long life more likely. (Also, never smoking.

Now, I’ve got four more life habits to suggest, thanks to research by a neuroscientist at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

For nearly two decades, Claudia Kawas, a professor of neurobiology and behavior and neurology at the University of California, Irvine has led a team studying the health and habits of over the age of 90, to determine what makes it more likely that people will live to that age.

The cohort is called simply the 90+ Study. It’s ongoing, in fact; details are at the bottom of this newsletter if you know someone over 90 who might want to join).

Here are the key findings Kawas presented that suggested people would live longer. Two of them are especially surprising. 

• They drink alcohol. Participants in the 90+ Study who consumed the equivalent of two glasses of beer or wine per day were 18 percent less likely to experience premature death. (More on this one below.)

• They’re slightly overweight. Those who were a bit overweight during their 70s (but not obese) were 3 percent less likely to experience premature death.

• They have hobbies. This one is a bit less surprising, but had the biggest percentage impact: Participants who devoted two or more hours a day to hobbies were 21 percent less likely to die early.

• They have some physical activity. Specifically, engaging in physical activity such as walking for 15 to 45 minutes each day reduced the likelihood of early death by 11 percent.

Unfortunately, although perhaps not unexpectedly, about 40 percent of people over 90 suffer from dementia, according to the study, and 80 percent have some kind of disability.

We should spend a little bit of extra time on what's probably the most surprising finding: the one that suggests drinking alcohol improves longevity.

The thing to keep in mind here is that it's moderate alcohol use that appeared to have a positive outcome on life expectancy—just a couple of glasses a day. 

"I have no explanation for it, but I do firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity," Kawas was quoted as saying by the British newspaper The Independent.

It’s the time of year when people start talking about resolutions and change, so I think this would be a good time to share this. By the way, if you or someone you know is approaching 90 years or older, the 90+ Study is looking for more participants.

(Requirements: Be able to participate in two annual visits with researchers, and be willing to donate your brain to research after death. You can call (949) 768-3635 in the United States or email study90@uci.edu for more information.)

Folks—Just a quick programming note. Tomorrow, I’m going to do a year-in-review to let you know some of the milestones we’ve reached with Understandably.com during 2021, and tease a few of the things I hope to do in 2022.

After that, we’ll take a break until after New Year’s Day. Thanks so much for being here.

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7 other things worth your time

• President Joe Biden tried to reassure vaccinated Americans that they can still proceed with their holiday plans without fear of becoming seriously ill, announcing a number of new efforts to combat a surge of Covid-19 cases in the United States. (CNN)

• But, a few counterexamples: Boston and Chicago announced vaccine mandates; meanwhile students and faculty at the University of Virginia will have to get a booster shot by Jan. 4 to avoid disciplinary action. (Axios, WFXR)

• And, I hate to add this even though it’s thematically consistent with today’s top essay: U.S. life expectancy fell to 77 years during the pandemic, the biggest drop in 75 years. (The Hill)

• An 81-year-old Army veteran was sentenced to three years of probation and 90 days home detention on Tuesday for illegally breaching the US Capitol on January 6. (CNN)

• Speaking of which, the Justice Department ruled that thousands of federal inmates who were granted home confinement to limit the spread of the coronavirus won’t be forced to return to prison after the health emergency ends. The decision reverses a January order issued in the final days of the Trump administration. (MSN)

• A Bay Area Disneyland pass-holder sued for ‘deceptive’ practices in a $5 million lawsuit, saying there are too many blackout dates for her to use the park. (SF Gate)

• Why you should never take the first offer: A hospital sent new parents a bill for more than $660,553 for their newborn’s neonatal ICU stay, and offered a payment plan: $45,843 a month. After 11 months of stress and negotiations, they dropped the entire bill to $300. (NPR)

Thanks for reading. Somewhat bizarre photo: Pixabay. I wrote about some of this before for Inc.com.