The 100-Year Smile | Psychology Today
When I was four years old, my parents, my sister, and I went to the drive-in theater to see Mary Poppins. It was one of the first movies I ever saw, and I was absolutely mesmerized by Dick Van Dyke’s energy, enthusiasm, and joyful character. Did you know he recently turned 100 years old? And he is still doing quite well. Naturally, people want to know his secret. When asked how he has aged so magnificently, he didn’t credit a strict diet, an intense workout regimen, or an expensive supplement. He attributed his century of life to maintaining a positive outlook and making a conscious choice not to get angry. One of my first childhood heroes ended up living the exact life he portrayed on the silver screen. His secret perfectly aligns with what I have found in exploring the higher reaches of human psychology over the past 30 years: A long, happy life isn’t about avoiding tragedy or frustration. It’s about cultivating an internal environment where anger cannot survive for long. The Physiology of …
