Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
A Weekly Newsletter
There’s no denying it: we are constantly bombarded with bad news. A pandemic, climate change, inflation, war, political discord—the list goes on. Here at the Longevity Project, we understand that bad news can be enough to take years off your life, so we want to do our part (however small) to balance the scales.
At the end of the day, though, we’re realists. Good news is hard to come by, no matter how hard you look. So we’ll aim a little lower and without further ado, we are pleased to share our first weekly newsletter: Three Not-So-Bad Things on Longevity and Aging. Feel free to share with others and send us items you want to see included. With some luck, you will see this newsletter (and some more not so bad news) every Wednesday.
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November 19, 2026
1. Bienvenue Dans Trois Pas Si Mal.
The record for knowing the most languages belongs to a 71-year-old Lebanese man named Ziad Youssef Fazah. He claims to speak 59 languages, and if that is true, he may end up breaking the record for the longest lifespan as well.
We make that connection because a massive new study of 86,000 European adults has revealed that learning a second language can have a material impact on healthy aging. Using the biobehavioral aging clock framework, researchers deployed AI models to quantify biobehavioral age gaps (BBAGs). These models predict a person's biological age from physical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, sleep problems, sensory loss, and from protective factors such as education, cognition, functional ability, and physical activity. The BBAG—the difference between predicted and actual age—indicates whether someone shows younger, healthier aging (negative values) or accelerated aging (positive values).
In their study, the researchers found that multilingual adults were more than twice as likely to show healthier, slower aging than those who spoke only one language - and the benefits grew with each additional language. These effects remained significant even after adjusting for linguistic, social, physical, and sociopolitical factors.
So gas up your Duolingo account, sign up for the next Rick Steves tour of Europe, and say “gracias, tres cosas no están nada mal por la propina”.
2. When We're Traveling, Hopefully We Will Still Be Able to Vote.
It’s an open question, because there is a broad attack on American’s ability in many jurisdictions to vote by mail. President Trump has indicated his intention to “lead a movement” against absentee voting; opponents have brought a case to the Supreme Court focused on the counting of absentee ballots after Election Day; and ballot initiatives have targeted absentee voting in a number of states.
It's an issue that is particularly important for older voters and other voters of limited mobility, as mail-in voting is often the only means suitable for them. Loss of mail balloting might mean many older voters would no longer be able to participate in elections.
The future of mail-in voting is uncertain, but we can be fairly sure that it remains popular with much of the public. Amidst all the public attention on the governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia, and the mayoral election in NYC, media outlets largely overlooked an important ballot initiative in Maine. There, opponents of mail in ballots were successful in getting 170,000 signatures to put Question 1 on this year’s ballot. Question 1 would have imposed new voter ID requirements (which as a concept is broadly popular) and reduced access to mail-in ballots (which as a concept is very unpopular). Concerns about restricting mail in ballots carried the day, as the initiative sunk quickly by a 64-36 margin.
According to the Pew Research Center, mail in voting remains quite popular, a +16 in recent polling, and hopefully access to the ballot for older and mobility-restricted voters will remain strong.
3. Does This Mean That Bill Belichick Will Live to 150?
We get all sorts of useful tips on longevity and healthy aging from older people. Personally, we gravitate to stories of purpose, connection, and service, but we’re not afraid to pass on less scientifically justified ideas, such as attributing longevity to a glass of beer or vermouth every night, or just “being stubborn.” We may have our favorites, but the paths to longevity are many and varied.
The latest entry into that category is from Dick Van Dyke, who at age 99, is out with a new book entitled “100 Rules for Living to 100,” in which he discusses the importance of movement, regular exercise, and not least of all, the rejuvenative value of marrying someone half your age.
Contrast that with 85-year-old John “Dick” Saxton, who was honored last week as Michigan’s 2025 Older Adult Volunteer of the Year. His secret of longevity has to do with engagement, purpose, and a lifetime of kindness. Saxton has spent the past decade driving more than 23,000 miles to shuttle older adults to medical appointments and deliver meals to homebound neighbors. Saxton, an Army veteran with 15 years of overseas service and multiple military decorations, also drives fellow veterans to their medical appointments and serves on the county’s Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee.
Far be it for us to argue with the man who famously portrayed Rob Petrie in the Dick Van Dyke Show, Bert the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins, and even that nasty security guard in Night at the Museum, but we will stick to the Saxton model for the time being.
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