研究表明:你與母親呆在一起的時間越久,她就會越長壽
Inviting Grandma over for dinner may actually extend her life - and increase its quality - a new study shows.
一項新研究表明，邀請奶奶過來吃晚飯可能會延長她的壽命，並提高她的生活質量。
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that loneliness plays a large role in the decline so often associated with old age. The study followed 1,600 adults, with an average age of 71 - despite controlling for socioeconomic status and health, the lonely consistently held higher mortality rates. Nearly 23% of lonely participants died within six years of the study, as opposed to only 14% of those that reported adequate companionship.
舊金山加利福尼亞大學的研究員們發現：孤獨在與老年人相關的衰老中扮演重要角色。該研究對1600名成年人進行了調查——平均年齡爲71歲——儘管控制了社會經濟狀態和健康，孤獨參試者的死亡率始終較高。近23%的孤獨參試者在研究開展的6年內離世，而報告稱只有14%的人享有足夠多的陪伴。
"The need we've had our entire lives - people who know us, value us, who bring us joy - that never goes away," Barbara Moscowitz, senior geriatric social worker at Massachusetts General Hospital, explained to The New York Times.
“我們一生都會有這樣的需要——希望那些瞭解我們、尊重我們、給我們帶來歡樂的人永遠不會離開，”芭芭拉•莫斯科維茨在接受《紐約時報》的採訪時說道。她是馬薩諸塞州總醫院的高級老年社會工作者。
The elderly place great value in those relationships, so much so that they often overlook a great deal more than their children or even their grandchildren do. It comes down to important relational skills, Rosemary Blieszner, a professor of human development at Virginia Tech, told The New York Times - skills that our grandparents have had a lifetime to hone.
老年人對這些關係十分重視，以至於他們盼望自己的孩子甚至是孫子/女比兒子輩或孫子輩盼望他們要多得多。說到底，就是重要的關係技能，弗吉尼亞理工大學人類發展學教授羅斯瑪麗•布利茲納在接受《紐約時報》採訪時說道——也就是祖父/母一輩子都在磨鍊的技能。
"They're pretty tolerant of friends' imperfections and idiosyncrasies, more than young adults," she said. "You bring a lot more experience to your friendships when you're older. You know what's worth fighting about and not worth fighting about."
“相比年輕的成年人，他們對朋友的缺陷和癖好更能容忍，”她說道。“年老時，你會給自己的朋友帶來更多體驗。你知道什麼值得爭取，什麼不值得爭取。”
Beyond inviting our older relatives and friends into our homes, it's important to encourage elderly relationships - which is why, despite popular belief, older folks tend to thrive in independent or assisted living environments. These living arrangements provide more ways to mingle, to connect, to thrive.
除了邀請上了歲數的親戚和朋友來家裏敘舊，鼓勵老年人相互建立友誼也很重要——撇開普通人的想法，這就是爲什麼老年人往往會在獨立或有幫助的生存環境中活的開心的原因。因爲這些生活安排爲他們提供更多的方式去社交、接觸、繁榮。
Spending quality time with Grandma and Grandpa helps them, but it benefits us, as well - the symbiotic relationship is undeniable. They get the companionship and conversation so crucial to every day life, and we get their stories, their hugs and, best of all, those famous, secret recipe cookies.
與祖父祖母一起度過美好時光既能幫助他們，又能使我們受益匪淺，同時——共生關係是不可否認的。他們得到了對日常生活至關重要的陪伴和交流，我們則獲得了他們的故事、擁抱、最棒的是還能得到那些好吃餅乾的祕方。
