The Woman Who Reached 122: Her Habits and What We Can Actually Learn
The woman referred to is Jeanne Calment , who lived to 122 years and 164 days. Her age is the longest human lifespan that has been reliably documented. She was born in 1875 and died in 1997.
Habits often associated with Calment
Accounts of her life describe several distinctive habits:
-
She reportedly ate chocolate regularly, sometimes in substantial amounts.
-
She enjoyed olive oil, including using it in cooking and on her skin.
-
She drank small amounts of wine.
-
She reportedly smoked cigarettes, although not heavily and sometimes only with assistance later in life.
-
She remained physically active, including walking and reportedly riding a bicycle.
-
She maintained social engagement and had a humorous, relaxed outlook.
But there’s an important caveat
It’s tempting to turn these details into a “longevity recipe,” but one person’s habits don’t establish that those habits caused her exceptional lifespan.
Longevity results from a complicated combination of genetics, environment, socioeconomic circumstances, medical care, lifestyle, and chance. In fact, some of Calment’s habits—particularly smoking—are clearly inconsistent with recommendations for reducing health risks.
Her story is therefore fascinating primarily as an example of exceptional human longevity, rather than evidence that chocolate, wine, or smoking helps people live longer.
What has stronger evidence?
For people seeking healthy aging, evidence generally supports much less glamorous habits: not smoking, regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a nutritious diet, managing blood pressure and cholesterol, getting adequate sleep, maintaining social connections, and keeping up with appropriate preventive healthcare.
So the remarkable lesson from Calment isn’t that there is a secret ingredient to reaching 122. There isn’t a proven formula for reproducing her lifespan.
