Add Years to Your Life

#2: MAKE CONNECTIONS +18.6 years

Buy a best friend +1.0
In a Brooklyn College study, heart attack victims who owned dogs were more likely to have survived a year after the trauma: Only 1.1 percent of pet owners died, compared to 6.7 percent of those without a canine companion. Plus, having Fido around the house will decrease your stress levels and drag you outside for regular exercise (and maybe to the dog park, where you can make people pals). It might seem early to start worrying about heart health, but cardiovascular disease--America's top killer--can start as early as the teenage years.

Rob the cradle +4.0
So what if that cute guy from spinning class is 6 years your junior? Ask him out. End up with him, and he could inflate more than just your ego: Women who marry younger men live longer than those with same-age or older spouses. Tying the knot often brings improved financial and mental well-being to both men and women, and more sex--another not-so-secret way to add years. Off the market already? Not a problem: Regardless of hubbies' ages, married women tend to live about 4 years longer than single gals, a University of Chicago study found.

Have faith +3.1
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that people who attend weekly religious services of any denomination live up to 3.1 years longer. The reason: Religion can help you cope better with stress. If you're so inclined, it shouldn't be hard to squeeze in a weekly visit with a higher power now that you're no longer sleeping in on Sundays (remember tip #1?).

Go to Hallmark +10.5
Keeping in touch with friends and family has been shown to reduce disease risk and boost longevity. And in a University of Kentucky study of nuns' diaries, those who wrote the most about positive emotions lived up to 10.5 years longer than those who wrote only about neutral feelings. Got more feelings than will fit in a greeting card? Jot them in a notebook each night, and reflect on it during tougher times, suggests University of Texas psychologist James W. Pennebaker, Ph.D. His research has found links between emotional writing and improved immune function, better mental health, longer-lasting relationships, and quicker recovery from illness.

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