Professor of Psychology Howard Friedman discussed an eight decade study that documents who really thrives under certain conditions and who dies early. The study which busts a number of myths about the secrets to living a longer life, was started by Dr. Lewis Terman in 1921. He used a group of 1,500 gifted boys and girls born around 1910, and these subjects were subsequently tracked throughout their lives. Looking at personality factors, one surprising result, was that those with a "cheery disposition" actually died at a younger age, on average.
Those who lived longest were found to be the most conscientious-- they were prudent, planned their lives to some extent and were more focused on finding good jobs and relationships, Friedman reported. Stress and worrying were actually found to not be a bad thing in terms of longevity, and people who worked the hardest tended to live the longest, he noted, adding that retirement usually is detrimental to health.
The subjects who were naturally active (but not rigorous exercisers) tended to stay healthy as opposed to those more sedentary, and those who had more people around them and made a difference in people's lives fared better than the loners, he detailed. People who engaged in "catastrophic thinking," i.e. finding doom everywhere, tended to die at a younger age, especially for men, Friedman shared.
Ancient Nuclear War
First hour guest, unorthodox researcher Michael Cremo talked about ancient Sanskrit writings from India that contain descriptions resembling nuclear warfare. In the texts, a weapon was said to shine as brilliant as a thousand suns, and battlefields were littered with tens of thousands of warriors. Based on astronomical information given in one text, he surmised that one of these battles took place around 5,000 years ago.
News segment guest: Mitch Battros