Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluated the concept of Longevity (healthy long-life) and addressed the topic of “Longevity in the triangle of spirit, brain, and body.”
Zara Ağa, who lived up to 157 years old, says he always had a humorous life!
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stated that “Longevity”, the concept of long life, is not a new topic. Tarhan said, “Do you know Zara Ağa? He passed away at the age of 157. Because he lived so long, he was invited to America, London, and Budapest at that time to talk about the secrets of long life, he spoke, and photos were taken. Born in Bitlis in 1777, he worked as a porter in Istanbul. He worked for the Istanbul Municipality. They asked him, ‘what do you owe this to?’ Zara Ağa says he never drank alcohol or smoked tobacco in his life. He says he ate yogurt and milk and always had a humorous life.”
The importance of a humorous and positive lifestyle…
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that a humorous and positive lifestyle is associated with long life, said, “I chatted with Nobel laureate neuropsychiatrist Eric Kandel at a conference in Los Angeles. He is also currently 95 years old… He told me; ‘I enjoy everything.’ Born in Vienna. From families who escaped the Holocaust. He is a humorous person who has managed to be happy with small things.”
The magic concept of long life is a pleasant and happy life…
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that the magic concept of Longevity (long life) is a pleasant and happy life, stating, “Live humorously. Being able to look at life positively even under stress can be one of the most important secrets to longevity. How do our cells age? How do they die? This is also very important in Longevity. There are programmed cell deaths. They multiply on their own, and when the time comes, cell death occurs. Autophagy also plays an important role in this process. Fasting, similarly... It slows down cell aging and performs autophagy. When a person is hungry, the survival program in the brain is activated. Our body's system begins to renew itself.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, explaining that the fast-paced, pleasure-oriented, irresponsible, and unlimited lifestyle brought by modernism disrupts the body's intelligent operating system, said, “A businessman said, ‘I manage a billion-dollar budget, but I cannot manage my blood pressure.’ This is a panic disorder. The feeling of control is so high that he wants to dominate everything, control everything, and rule everything. The capitalist system supports this. For more economic activity... But people are being used in a way. Those who can realize this and live a sedentary life can be happier, can live longer.”
The brain also works like a muscle, and its mental capacity increases with use
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, also pointing out the importance of lifestyle, explained that attention should be paid to protective and risk-reducing factors for a healthy life, including ideal weight control, regular physical exercise, balanced nutrition, and mental activities, adding that the brain also works like a muscle and its mental capacity increases with use.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that some people are called super-agers, and despite being 80 years old, their mental performance can be at the level of 55-year-olds, emphasizing the importance of an active lifestyle, social development, and mental exercises, and that not only physical health but also mental activities should be given importance for a long and healthy life.
The ideal is healthy aging
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that maintaining telomere length means healthy living and long life, continued as follows:
“Telomeres are like a credit given to us at birth. You can consume this credit in one day or in 80 years… People are born with equal telomeres. While someone who takes good care of themselves can live for many years, those who don't age quickly. Diseases like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and Alzheimer's also rapidly deplete telomeres. The speed and rhythm of the human body should be in harmony with the speed and rhythm of nature and used correctly. Long life was previously called anti-aging. It was called anti-aging. Now, instead of being anti-aging, the goal is to age healthily, to live a healthy long life. The ideal is healthy aging.”
Overall lifestyle is also important for longevity!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, pointing out the importance of stress management, nutrition, exercise, and overall lifestyle for longevity, stated that epigenetic mechanisms, rather than genetics, play a significant role in human development, and these epigenetic mechanisms can change depending on an individual's will.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that the brain is a plastic organ and can constantly change, said that the brain should be sculpted like a sculptor, and that the brain is a neuroplastic organ.
The body is an amazing pharmacy!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, explaining that according to neuroscience, the brain achieves pleasure and enjoyment with dopamine, that the brain secretes endorphins during exercise, and that endorphins also have pleasure and pain-relieving properties, and that mitochondria function like the body's furnace, noted the following:
“During exercise, the body secretes adenosine. Adenosine is stable in people who walk five thousand steps a day and live at a certain rhythm. Our body has an amazing pharmacy. If we use this pharmacy well, we ensure longevity, a long life. Pleasure has a short-term effect on the body, but the search for meaning, pursuing an ideal, triggers happiness hormones and bonding hormones. The happiness hormone is serotonin… If a person lives pleasure-oriented, thinking of short-term pleasures like status, fame, money, the brain constantly tries to be happy with dopamine. People who seek meaning, think abstractly, and idealize a concept achieve inner peace in the long term because they activate serotonin in the brain. These are also secreted in people who embrace a spiritual life. Because they aim to be part of a greater meaning. They aim to connect with a higher power. The bonding hormone oxytocin is secreted. The bonding hormone is secreted most in breastfeeding mothers.”
For immune cells, it is necessary to say no to pastries
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the feeling of connecting to a higher power, a higher meaning, a creator also causes the brain to secrete oxytocin, and noted that the immune system is also important, that the immune system is in communication with thoughts, that the brain and intestines affect each other, that carbohydrate-heavy nutrition disrupts this communication, and that it is necessary to say no to pastries for immune cells.
Healthy breathing also positively affects mental health
“Healthy breathing is very important. Correct breathing techniques positively affect not only our physical health but also our mental health. Deep breathing reduces stress.” said Prof. Dr. Tarhan, adding, “You place your right hand on your heart. You place your left hand on your stomach. You lean back in a comfortable spot. You close your eyes and inhale for a count of one, two, hold for a count of three, four, and exhale for a count of five, six, seven, eight. Do this under any stress. The oxygenation of the brain increases. We are training the autonomic nervous system. The parasympathetic system kicks in, and you relax. It's a simple exercise that immediately reduces stress hormones and relaxes muscles.”
Calf muscles reduce the heart's burden
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, also stating that calf muscles function as a second heart, said, “In a study conducted at a university in Canada, participants walked briskly for one hour for six months, exercising only through walking. An increase in the volume of women's brains' thinking and memory functions was observed. When walking, calf muscles contract, pumping blood. This reduces the burden on the heart. The heart's load is lightened. Adrenaline is secreted by walking, and the body's energy level increases. The best is brisk walking. Walking close to fast. This is very beneficial not only for the body but also for the brain.”
A common characteristic of those who live long and happily is high social support
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin D are also very important for the brain and protect it, explained, “Social interaction is also very important. Loneliness is also a risk factor for early death in the elderly. Those with many social ties have longer average lifespans. Harvard has a 75-year study. In this report, a common characteristic of those who live long and happily is their high social support. People with strong social networks and social ties have longer average lifespans. Social isolation has a toxic effect. There is a loneliness epidemic in the world. Ministries of loneliness have been established in England and Japan. The World Health Organization lists loneliness as one of the three major dangers facing the world.”
Emphasizing that making changes and breaking routines are also beneficial, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “Don't always go to your workplace via the same route, try different routes. Don't always shop from the same place, try other places. Work all parts, all regions of the brain. Making changes is important.”
Smell strengthens memory
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, also drawing attention to the importance of using scents, stated, “Smell is something that strengthens memory. If you study or do something with a pleasant scent, that scent activates the brain at that moment. The scents of nutmeg and cinnamon increase productivity.”
The brain cleans toxins during sleep
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that brain exercises and 5W1H thinking are very important for staying fit, and that 8 hours of sleep per day are necessary, and that sleep is when the brain essentially recharges, stating, “There is no lymphatic system in the brain. The lymphatic system cleans toxins, fatigue substances, and waste materials in the body. Lymph collects everything accumulated in the body, discards it into veins, and the liver cleans it. There is no such pathway in the brain, no lymphatic system. During sleep, the brain slightly shrinks. Gaps form around the vessels, and it seems to drain from there. During sleep, the brain cleans toxins. If we don't sleep, all the fatigue substances and toxic substances accumulate in our brain. That's why drinking plenty of water is also very important to eliminate toxins from the brain.”
Lifestyle holds great importance for mental health
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, emphasizing that the five horsemen of darkness—feelings of “resentment, anger, hatred, jealousy, hostility”—secrete chemicals in the brain and cause damage to the brain, pointed out the importance of stress management.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that a life without stress is not possible, said, “Our lifestyle holds great importance for our mental health. Our lifestyle is one of the most fundamental factors determining our relationship with stress. Modernism has made our lives easier in many ways, but at the same time, it has raised our expectations and made competition among people ruthless. This situation has led to an increase in psychiatric illnesses. The increase in suicide rates, narcissism, and addictions in the world is not a coincidence. Today, it is even being investigated whether there is a virus that causes depression. In fact, there is such a virus: it is called the ‘hedonism virus’ or the pleasure-seeking virus. Individuals who constantly chase pleasure fall into a greater void and harm themselves when they do not experience the feeling of pleasure.”
Rubber personalities are resilient to blows and do not break easily
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, explaining that people have different ways of coping with stress and that personalities can be divided into three types: “sponge, Teflon, and rubber personalities,” continued his speech as follows: “Sponge personalities absorb everything, constantly complain, and are always unhappy. Even if you put them in paradise, they will complain about something. They always adopt the victim role, constantly cry, and make themselves feel sorry for. Teflon personalities, although they may appear unharmed from the outside, burn the people they come into contact with. Especially in marriage, these are types who wear down their spouse but seem indifferent themselves. These people are narcissists; they hurt others but think they are special and strong. Rubber personalities, on the other hand, are the healthiest. They show flexibility, are resilient to blows, and do not break easily.”
Don't be afraid of stress!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that psychological resilience, characteristics related to mental flexibility, means being able to flex against stress, not falling apart, and recovering, adding that one should not be afraid of stress.
The medicine for a happy and long life is balance
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, emphasizing that the medicine for a happy and long life is balance, continued as follows:
“To achieve this balance, emotional positivity must be ensured. Here, there is a difference between positive thinking and positive emotion. Positive thinking can sometimes be perceived as excessive optimism or Pollyannaism, but you must live positively even in the most difficult event. Being able to do this is a concept related to mental flexibility. Selfish people cannot achieve mental flexibility. What is the opposite of mental flexibility? Stubbornness. Stubborn people cannot be happy. Stubborn people cannot achieve longevity well. Therefore, persevering in what is right is a good thing, but insisting on what is wrong, continuing even when knowing it's wrong, is blind stubbornness. It leads a person to the abyss. Here, the tray of wisdom is very important. What is on the tray of wisdom? Health, wealth, and values. All three together. The balance of health, wealth, and wisdom. All three must be together on the tray of wisdom. If you live solely focused on health, thinking longevity is important, the balance of the tray will be disturbed. If you only chase wealth, it will be disturbed. Wisdom, life wisdom, is also needed.”
