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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 "The last time we did this survey, we found that many people over 100 were using an iPod," he added. "And this year, we found that people were using Google. So, this is a recurring theme. And it's because they are using this technology to stay in touch with friends and family."
U.S. Census Bureau data shows there are currently more than 84,000 centenarians in the United States -- a figure that is expected to rise to 580,000 by the 2040.
This year's results were gleaned from a telephone survey conducted last spring of 1,000 randomly selected Americans between the ages of 20 and 83, as well as from separate interviews of 100 men and women who were at least 99 at the time they participated.
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Among the centenarians polled, 90 percent said that staying close to family and friends was the most important factor in terms of healthy aging. Nine in 10 said keeping mentally active was critical to a long life, while 88 percent stressed the importance of having a sense of humor.
More than four in five said that maintaining their independence was central to aging well, and nearly two-thirds said that lifestyle choices were the backbone of their healthful longevity -- not genetics.
Technology appeared to be front and center in many centenarian lives. Nearly one in five said they use cell phones; 7 percent use e-mail; 4 percent exchange digital photos by e-mail; 3 percent use an online dating service; and 12 percent say they surf the Web. Two percent said they specifically used the search engine Google to look for someone with whom they had lost contact.
More information
For more on centenarians, visit the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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