Based on his work with healthy centenarians (100 years and older) worldwide, he identified four unique perceptual modes contributing to their longevity. While lifestyle is more important than genetic endowment, he proposes these four longevity factors that he isolated, are as important: how they perceive time, aging, health, and self-significance. Additionally, Dr. Mario will illustrate how each of the four factors has psychoneuroimmunological benefits (anti-stress and anti-inflammatory effects), and how centenarian consciousness can be learned at any age. Surprisingly, many longevity studies have not included centenarian populations in their research, and none have addressed the unique default mode network centenarians enact to perceive themselves and their environments. Additionally, longevity research seems to focus on the pathology of aging rather than the causes of health in the process of growing older. We are currently designing a research project to correlate these four factors with biomarkers of aging.

Mario E. Martinez