Have you ever “struck a chord?” That’s an idiom that is not uncommon, though most often expressed by people with no musical background. It means that you’ve produced an emotional response, evoked a memory, or caused someone to agree/identify with something. That happened in last week’s Point of View: music doesn’t become a headline in most folks’ workweek, but raise the specter of long-term impact on one’s functional mental condition, and people start hummin’ along…

            Last Monday struck a chord with a bunch of my PoV friends. All week, I’ve been crossing paths with people who had comments about what we explored together. When we turned the corner into the 21^st Century – just 26 years ago – dementia was not a topic that was getting much traction. From then to now, it’s hard to find any family that has been spared the unexpected arrival of late-in-life cognitive impairment. As tough as it is to be alongside parents or grandparents navigating that mortal ambush, the interest in preventative lifestyle choices that might offer a reduced risk of becoming a burden in our own family future is now on the high-value list of considerations.

            May I build on what we explored last Monday? A newly released study – conducted over 25 years by Northwestern University and published recently in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia – paints a positive portrait of an exception worth noting. They found a group in which we’d all aspire to become members: they are the SuperAgers.

            Here’s the entrance criterion for the SuperAgers: men and women over 80 whose memories were as strong as people in their 50s and 60s. Any interest in knowing what these true SuperHeroes are doing to put themselves in that elite category? Is it prunes every morning, and 8.1 hours of pillow time without fail?

            They don’t share a common exercise schedule. Their diets vary. Their approaches to sleep, work and lifestyle vary considerably. What, then, is their secret? Is there a common denominator that characterizes their approach to life that sets them apart?

            Here’s what the study found: the brains that stay sharpest into old age appear to be literally built for human connection.

            Northwestern was looking at brain biology; in a parallel study at Harvard, they were focused on life outcomes: health, happiness and longevity. The language used at the conclusion of the Harvard project: “Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.” People who are more isolated than they want to be see their health decline earlier, their brain functioning slip sooner, their lives shortened.

            In simple terms, loneliness is a holistic cancer that negatively affects both the quality and quantity of one’s life. Years and tears are directly linked to dialed-back relationships.

            The studies simply confirm what God had known all along. Among the practical directives for people living under the Gospel as their eternal truth, the working model for mortals this side of Heaven is outlined distinctly: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

            Modern culture connects us with happenings from around the world, but – increasingly – isolates us into sequestered home spots likely to reduce contact with people unless necessitated for commercial purposes. We’re global citizens… with no close friends.

            If you want to live longer – and, keep your wits about you – do what Billy Graham admonished his stadium crowds to do, at the end of every come-to-the-field invitation: “And go to church next Sunday!”

I’ll see you there; maybe we can do lunch!

 — Bob Shank