[One Thousand Characters a Day] Happy Elderly People Do Not Age <2>

Editor's NoteThe common belief that aging means growing old is a misconception. We can maintain lifelong youthfulness by boosting our mental immunity and engaging in consistent brain training. Dr. Bernd Kleine-Gunk, author of The Happy Elderly Do Not Age, discusses how stress makes humans ill, what can be done to prevent it, and why stress can never be completely eliminated. He also examines how chronic stress accelerates the aging process from the perspective of telomeres (a part of DNA at the ends of chromosomes). Furthermore, he reveals that ancient ancestral practices for relaxation?such as meditation, yoga, and qigong training?are genuinely effective methods to build resilience against stress. The ability to accept wounds without succumbing to mental pressure and psychological trauma is also an essential condition for a happy old age. Word count: 740.

The British Psychological Society periodically surveys and compiles a list of the "Top 10 Teenage Stressors." In their last report in 2017, the top stressors were the death of a close person, imprisonment, losing a home due to floods or fires, serious illness, unemployment, breakup with a long-term partner or divorce from a spouse, identity theft, unexpected financial difficulties, and a new job, in that order. Wedding plans ranked 10th. This also serves as evidence of the phenomenon where people are increasingly reluctant to marry. While most stressors remained very stable over time, some were influenced by social changes. The death of a close person has always ranked first. In contrast, divorce dropped from second place in 1967 to sixth place. This reflects the shift from divorce being a social stigma in the 1960s to becoming more common and increasingly accepted as normal today.

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The most rational way to cope is to minimize stress, but one quickly realizes that this is sometimes impossible. There are pressures in personal and professional spheres that cannot be resolved by willpower alone. Moreover, misfortune and trials are inevitable. Misfortune is unpredictable, cannot be preemptively addressed, and can strike at any time.

Therefore, developing the ability to overcome stress is far more important than reducing stressors. Fundamentally, ways to reduce or eliminate stress are limited, but methods to manage stress can be systematically trained.

- Bernd Kleine-Gunk, The Happy Elderly Do Not Age, translated by Kang Young-ok, Gimyoungsa Publishing, 17,800 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.