Why do some people live to be older than others? You know the standard explanations: keeping a moderate diet, engaging in regular exercise, etc. But what effect does your personality have on your longevity?Do some kinds of personalities lead to longer lives?A new study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looked at this question by examining the personality characteristics of 246 children of people who had lived to be at least 100.

    The study shows that those living the longest are more outgoing,more active and less neurotic (神经质的) than other people.Long-living women are also more likely to be sympathetic and cooperative than women with a normal life span.These findings are in agreement with what you would expect from the evolutionary theory: those who like to make friends and help others can gather enough resources to make it through tough times.

    Interestingly, however, other characteristics that you might consider advantageous had no impact on whether study participants were likely to live longer.Those who were more self-disciplined,for instance,were no more likely to live to be very old.Also,being open to new ideas had no relationship to long life,which might explain all those bad-tempered old people who are fixed in their ways.

    Whether you can successfully change your personality as an adult is the subject of a longstanding psychological debate.But the new paper suggests that if you want long life,you should strive to be as outgoing as possible.

    Unfortunately, another recent study shows that your mother's personality may also help determine your longevity.That study looked at nearly 28,000 Norwegian mothers and found that those moms who were more anxious, depressed and angry were more likely to feed their kids unhealthy diets.Patterns of childhood eating can be hard to break when we're adults,which may mean that kids of depressed moms end up dying younger.

    Personality isn't destiny(命运),and everyone knows that individuals can learn to change.But both studies show that long life isn't just a matter of your physical health but of your mental health.

    For the first time in the history of the Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou marathons, fourteen blind runners competed in the Nov 6 Hangzhou Marathon this year with the assistance of personal guides. Each runner was supported by 4 or 5 volunteers. Among them was Yan Wei, from a running group called “Running in the Dark”, which specially provides training for blind runners.

    During trainings, blind runners are each accompanied by three volunteers. One volunteer is responsible for removing any obstacles（障碍物）on the road and controlling the pace. The second volunteer acts as a lookout for other runners or vehicles on the path while the third, who is attached to the blind runner by a safety rope, takes note of the trainee's running gait and pace.

    Zhu Peihua, the leader of the group's Shanghai branch, first developed a passion for running last year when he took part in a guided running activity. Zhu said that he was so fascinated with the sport that he even bought a treadmill（跑步机）so that he could train at home. “Running gives me the chance to be outside and take in the fresh air. The activity has also made me more willing to talk to people. It's simply good for health, ” said Zhu.

    The popularity of guided running activities for blind people has been growing since last year. Cheng Yi, a volunteer at Running in the Dark's Hangzhou branch, said that both the numbers of blind runners and volunteers to become assistants to them are rising continually. However, he added that volunteers face a more physically demanding task compared to a regular runner. Some of the other challenges involve being aware of the verbal(口头的) instructions one gives.

     “At the beginning, I kept saying ‘here' and ‘there' instead of ‘left' or 'right' which is much more specific and relevant to the runner. A blind runner once collided with another runner because of my mistake. Luckily, no one was hurt,” said Cheng. Through everything, according to Cheng, he and many of the blind runners he has guided become close friends with shared topics and increased understandings.

    Why do I volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America? I have many reasons. Perhaps the biggest reason is that someone volunteered to help me. Years ago, I was on the other side of the table. I was lonely and felt kind of lost. More than once, I found myself on the wrong side of a jail cell(牢房). If someone hadn't stepped in, I probably wouldn't even be here right now.

    I've seen the work that Big Brothers Big Sisters has been doing all over the country and I'm pleased to be part of it. I've never done anything that made me prouder than my volunteering work. Big Brothers Big Sisters helped me get my head on straight. There are no words to describe the joy I get from helping somebody turn their life around.

    Don't tell anyone I said that, but volunteering is probably the fastest way to get over sadness or depression. Every time I start to feel bad, I talk to someone who needs my help and it makes me feel better and worse all at the same time. I feel better, because doing good things fills me with a sense of pride. I feel worse because I feel I have no right to complain about my situation especially when I hear what others are going through.

    I've come a long way from where I was. Volunteering is how I want to leave my mark on the world. I recommend volunteering work to everybody, especially for somebody who isn't sure where they're going in life. Helping someone find their path is often the best way to find yours.

    People often go to cafes to relax themselves and keep themselves from falling asleep, but Mr. Healing, a popular cafe chain in South Korea actually does the opposite. Customers can come in, order a drink, lie down a comfortable massage（按摩）chair, and take a nap.

    Many Koreans suffer from a lack of sleep as a result of overworking, so any opportunity to relax and even take a nap is greatly appreciated. Mr. Healing is the perfect place to go when you're on a short work or school break and you need to catch up on sleep. The cafe offers massage periods in various modes, depending on how much time you have and how you choose to spend it.

    The 20-minute session is priced at $ 3.5, the 30-minute massage costs $ 7, and the 50-minute session is $ 9, all of which also include a drink. Once you make your choice, you are taken to the "healing center". You are asked to take off your shoes as well as any jewelry that might damage the chairs, after which you can choose a massage mode, from "stretch" or "sleep". You can start with stretch for a few minutes, and then switch to sleep if you want to take a short nap. After it comes to an end, you are taken back to the cafe area to enjoy a coffee or one of the many other refreshing drinks on the menu.

    Mr. Healing cafes are so popular in Korea that customers are advised to make reservations in advance to be sure that a massage chair is available. "I have to sit on a chair and stare at a computer monitor all day due to my job, the healing room was truly effective to relieve tiredness and stress from weekdays," said Park Hye-sun, a 24-year-old officer.

    Some have described Mr. Healing and other similar cafes in South Korea as simple fashions, but others see them as a sustainable business model, because they offer a service that Koreans really need.

    Honey (蜂蜜) from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest (巢) and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper—a little bird called a honey guide.

    The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees' nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.

    Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.

    For many people, the “golden years” are a time to slow down and recall past achievements. Nola Ochs—a Guinness record holder as the world's oldest college graduate at the age of 95—saw age as an opportunity to take on new challenges and satisfy unfulfilled goals.

    Born in 1911 in Illinois, Nola always loved learning. She was a good student who graduated from high school in 1929 and began college via correspondence course（函授课程）from Fort Hays State University in Kansas. After getting the degree of the college, she taught in county schools for four years before marrying her husband, Vernon Ochs.

    Soon, the realities of farming stopped any thoughts of furthering her education, though Nola lived a good, full life on the farm, raising four sons. She always yearned to learn more about the world she lived in, but not until after Vernon died in 1972, did Nola consider resuming her formal education.

    “I just thought something off the farm would be fun,” Nola explained. “Really, I had no thought of ever graduating. For 10 years, I just took classes that were of interest to me, mostly history and composition. And then one of the professors came to me and told me if I would take college algebra, I would have enough credit hours to graduate. And I finally made it.”

    For most people, graduating at the age of 95 with a 3.7 GPA might be enough of an accomplishment, but not for Nola. In May 2010, at the age of 98, Nola Ochs received her master's degree, making her the oldest person to receive that distinction.

By the time Nola passed away in 2016, at the incredible age of 105, she had achieved her goal of writing a book about her life experiences. At one point in the process, when asked for her life advice, she said, “Buy the plane ticket!” She meant that people should take advantage of life's opportunities and not wait until tomorrow.