A survey claiming more than one third of over 50s were unable to leave unhappy marriages because of the cost of contended divorces left your news editor shaking his head in bewilderment this week. Really? Can that much have changed since I hit my own half century. Among my friends and acquaintances the percentage was nowhere near that. Or was the extraodinary finding down to its interpretation on the website where I found it, or perhaps the way the question was framed? The problem with surveys purporting to reveal new details of the silver condition is that they come in various guises, ranging from those dreamed up merely to spark some free publicity, such as those claiming British tourists are “flocking” to some obscure “new” destination, with bookings up by more than half (it is a truth universally acknowledged that 50% of 100 is still only 50) to those with a bit more solidity. Witness another that appeared hard on on the heels of the wedlock misery quoted earlier. The result of serious investigation by the social biobehavioural research group at University College London, it suggested at first glance that cultural activity such as visiting an art gallery, singing or dancing could slow the process of biological ageing. But take care: even this doesn’t guarantee you’ll live longer than people without such interests. As the survey’s authors would no doubt agree, much more research would be needed to establish potential causal effects on longevity.
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