The Mediterranean diet is often credited with helping Spanish people live longer, but family and city living seem to help along the way

Now here's a conundrum: if you could do anything to prolong the lives of your parents, would you do it? Of course you would. But what if that thing meant having them come and live with you? Mmm.

It seems that in northern European countries, only about 5% of elderly parents live with their children, while in Spain the figure is about 45%. And a recent study by Madrid's Universidad Autónoma suggests that this may be one of the reasons why Spanish people live so long – in Madrid, men are living an average of 78 years, and women a whopping 85.

In fact, the study shows - and this is odd if you know the area - that the longest-lived people in the European Union are from the somewhat nondescript suburb of Leganés – a sprawling, largely working-class area to the south of Madrid.

And it also shows that, apart from the famous Mediterranean diet so often touted by dietary experts (and which is in decline), the other main reason given for the longevity of the Spanish people is that they are so sociable. They don't live isolated lives, but chat every day with their friends and neighbours, in the street or at the shops – and often, they live with their families. All of which keeps you young, and which suggests the perhaps the best reason of all for learning Spanish – that it can help you live longer.

It's in Madrid that life expectancy is longest, suggesting that despite the traffic, the pollution, the estres, it is better to live in the city than away from it all in the country. However, as one letter to a newspaper suggested following the report, it's probably worth looking at life as it was lived when these people were born 80 years ago, when the world (although Spain was still in the grip of post-Civil-War depression) was a considerably calmer place than it is now.

Though they live long, the bad news is that many over-75-year-olds in Spain are apparently suffering from depression, suggesting that, according to the elegant Spanish proverb, we should worry less about getting rid of the wrinkles from our lives, and more about putting life into our wrinkles.
Another recent study seeks to find out why women live longer than men, suggesting that they eat better, rest better, drive more carefully and look after their teeth better. And future prospects for Spanish women look even healthier, since by 2050, it is estimated that on average they will live to 88, while half of the children being born now will live to the ripe old age of 100.

Given the current difficulty in Spain of getting onto the property ladder, they'll probably still be living with their parents …

Language:
Hay que preocuparse menos por quitar arrugas a la vida, y mas en poner
vida a las arrugas - We should worry less about getting rid of the
wrinkles from our life, and more about putting life into our wrinkles

Parece más joven de lo que es – You look younger than you are

¿Cuál es el secreto de una vida larga y feliz? - What's the secret of a
long and happy life?

Amigos, oros y vinos, cuanto más viejos, más finos – Friends, gold and
wine, the older they are, the finer they are