10 Reasons Women Live Longer Than Men: Secrets to Longevity
I’ve rounded up 10 reasons women live longer than men - and a few secrets to longevity - and right off the bat, one is simply that men don’t take better care of their health. They can be sick as dogs, but refuse to seek medical attention (while lapping up all the attention you can stand to give!). Men have to be nagged into going to the doctor for their annual physicals, the dentist for their plaque scraped away, and their proctologist for help with their nether regions.
Check out this quip from Mae West about healthy men:
“It ain’t the men in your life that counts, it’s the life in your men,” said West in the movie She Done Him Wrong.
If your man is lacking life lately, it could be because he’s not taking care of his health - and that’s one of the reasons women live longer than men. Even healthy men fall prey to these reasons women live longer. For more info, click on the book Why Men Die First: How to Lengthen Your Lifespan by Dr Marianne Legato. To learn 10 reasons women live longer, forge ahead…
10 Reasons Women Live Longer Than Men: Secrets to Longevity
1. Men don’t listen to their bodies. “Men are more at risk of early death because they are taught to ignore weakness, illness, and health concerns,” says Royda Crose, author of Why Women Live Longer Than Men. “They not only don’t listen to their bodies, but they are applauded for the denial of pain and discomfort.” Even healthy men learn to deny and ignore pain, which affects longevity. When they’re hurt playing sports, they tend to shake it off and keep going - unless they’re bleeding or broken.
2. The media teaches men to be strong and silent. Another reason women live longer than men is that the movies and television portray men as superheroes who put themselves in harm’s way (bombs! car chases! leaps from tall buildings!) and take extraordinary risks to protect beautiful women. Generally, men are taught to keep their feelings to themselves. Thus, if they’re in physical pain they may not say anything until it’s too late - which doesn’t keep men healthy for long.
3. Men aren’t as interested in health and wellness. “Many studies have shown that we’re less interested in health issues than women,” writes Diamond in The Whole Man Program. “Most of us are more interested in the health of our automobiles that the health of our bodies.” Men may not take better care of their health because they simply aren’t up on the latest health research, which affects their longevity. Diamond quotes Dr Ken Goldberg of the Male Health Center: “One reason men don’t think about routine maintenance for their bodies is that they know next to nothing about how they work.”
4. Men are proud of their “battle scars.” Men may not take better care of their health because cuts, scratches, and bruises are badges of courage. Walking around on crutches because of a football injury or brandishing a broken arm from building a roof are part of being a man’s man. Healthy men may eat nutritious foods and exercise regularly, but they still enjoy collecting those battle scars - which affects longevity.
5. Illness isn’t masculine. “If we ignore pain, it’s easy to believe that our bodies are invincible,” writes Jed Diamond in The Whole Man Program. “We can identify with our action figures that are perfect and strong all the time….For many of us, getting sick or hurt is a sign of weakness.” Women may live longer than men because they take better care of themselves when they’re ill, cope with chronic illness better, and they admit when they’re sick.
6. Taking care of themselves is seen as unmanly. Another reason women live longer than men is that men may not take care of their bodies even when they’re healthy. For instance, I go for regular massages, exercise four times a week, explore new ways to work out, and floss my teeth almost every night. Can I say the same for my darling husband whom I love dearly? Not so much. (However, he wouldn’t necessarily agree that he “neglects” his body because it’s unmanly to take better care of his health, so this doesn’t affect his longevity).
7. Men are afraid of giving up control. “Women learn early on that there are things about their bodies that are beyond their control. They have a monthly period, whether they like it or not,” writes Diamond in The Whole Man Program. Healthy men, on the other hand, find that letting their guard down by going to the doctor forces them to be vulnerable to another human being - and they’d rather die than do that. So, women live longer than men because women are more comfortable with being vulnerable, and this could increase a woman’s longevity.
8. Parents reinforce emotional suppression. Research shows that boy babies are cuddled and touched less than girl babies. Boys receive more rough play than girls, who are treated more gently and softly. “As early as their sons’ first year, mothers tend to spend less time with their little boys,” says Diamond. “By the time they are a year and a half boys are left to play alone more often and for longer periods of time than little girls.” Men may be less connected to their feelings; when they’re asked “How are you feeling?”, even healthy men may not have a clue.
9. Women reinforce the tough guy image. Have you ever heard a man wonder why nice guys never get dates - why the “bad boys” get all the women? A man mentioned this to me just last week. This belief - even if it isn’t true - reinforces the idea that men need to be tough, strong, and BAAAAD to get the beautiful women. This belief keeps healthy men believing that illness isn’t masculine, makes them less likely to take better care of their health, and possibly decreases their longevity.
10. Men risk their health for women. Men will often do whatever it takes to get and keep a woman: taking jobs that are dangerous, putting in long hours of overtime, and increasing his resources so he keeps his woman. Women may live longer than men simply because men are more focused on working and mating, not on taking better care of their health….which decreases their longevity
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