Looking for positive changes you can make to your lifestyle – but won’t be a chore to stick to? Here are three New Year resolutions that will help you live longer.

Too often New Year resolutions feel like they are about having less fun and restricting things that bring us joy. We’re either giving up things we like (even if they aren’t that great for us), like chocolate or a night glass of wine, or resolving to start or do more of things we don’t find fun, such as going to the gym or eating ‘worthy’ foods. 

But what if they weren’t? What if you could make New Year resolutions you WANT to keep because they make your life more enjoyable… while also helping you to be healthier? 

To help you, we’ve come up with three New Year resolutions that will help you live longer and better – while having more fun right now. 

1) Spend more time having fun with friends

You don’t need to be a sober nun to increase your chances of reaching a ripe old age. In fact, research shows that loneliness and social isolation is bad for your health, increasing your risk of health problems such as heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline. According to the US’ former surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, “Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk for premature death by 26% and 29% respectively”.

So spending time having fun with your friends isn’t just a lovely thing to do – it’s actually helping you to stay healthier and live longer. That’s why I recommend making it one of your New Year resolutions. Don’t wait for reasons to meet up, instead make it a habit to catch up regularly. 

And if you don’t have a wide circle of friends already, it’s never too late to make new ones. Here are some tips on finding new friends in your 50s. 

2) Try something new

Okay, this one may sound a little vague, but that is the point. Research shows that learning something new keeps your mind sharp and helps to prevent cognitive decline as you get older. And, while you might decide to increase your knowledge with a new language or study for a qualification, ‘learning’ in this context doesn’t just mean something academic. 

Taking up a new hobby, trying a new sport, volunteering or mentoring are all ways to help keep your mind young. And it’s not just about keeping your mind active and flexible; when you engage in a new experience, your brain is likely to release dopamine, which helps you to feel happier, too. 

The brilliant thing about this particular New Year resolution is that it’s completely wide open. ‘Something new’ can be anything you want it to be – from taking up a new musical instrument, to discovering a new band. It can be exploring a new city or joining a new local group. 

And if you don’t like the new thing you try? Then just stop and find something else to try! The point is that you are always exploring new ideas, meeting new people, and opening your mind up to new knowledge and experiences. 

3) Laugh more

Our third recommended New Year resolution is my personal favourite: just to laugh more! 

According to much-quoted research, children apparently laugh as often as 300 times a day, whereas a 40-year-old laughs just four times a day. So one quick, easy and fun way to stay young is simply to laugh often. 

And laughing doesn’t just keep you young; it can also help to keep you alive. The Yamagata Study found that “all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease incidence were significantly higher among subjects with a low frequency of laughter.” Or, in other words, the more you laugh, the lower your risk of dying. 

One 2023 study sought to identify why laughter was helpful for longevity. They discovered a number of benefits, including:

• Laughing exercises our abdominal muscles, facial muscles, and lungs, making it a good all-body and cardio-vascular workout. 
• Laughing boosts our levels of endorphins, serotonin and dopamine, and lowers cortisol and adrenalin. Positive emotions are also linked to better vascular health, which has the potential to help with conditions such as arthrosclerosis, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and hypertension. 
• Laughter can improve a number of biomarkers associated with aging, including cytokines, blood pressure, and inflammation. It can also improve metabolic function by raising levels of ‘good’ high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. 

The science seems quite clear: laugh often and increase your chances of living longer. But how CAN you laugh more? Here are some tips from me:

• Seek out things that make you laugh. Cartoons, funny videos, stand up comics… it doesn’t matter what it is. Just find things that amuse you and consciously seek them out every day. During lockdown, every night I’d look for and share funny memes to ensure I went to sleep feeling good. 
• Choose to look on the funny side. When something frustrating or embarrassing happens to me, I try to make a joke about it rather than complain. I’ll turn it into a funny story to share, rather than a moan. You can’t always change what happens, but you can change your emotional response to it. 
• Be careful who you spend time with. Mood is infectious, and if you surround yourself with miserable people it’s hard to stay upbeat. So choose the people you spend the majority of your time with well, and avoid people who drag you down.
• Find people who share your sense of humour. I have a series of ongoing jokes and chats with friends and family on WhatsApp, and whenever I meet up with good friends we spend the majority of our time laughing. I also married the funniest man I know, which I am hoping will keep us both young!  
• Get into the habit of laughing. Our emotional responses are as habitual as smoking, nail biting or craving a coffee first thing in the morning. You can choose to make laughing a natural response by consciously laughing or finding humour in situations. After a while you will find yourself automatically finding the funny side. 
• And finally, look after your physical health. It’s hard to be carefree and upbeat if you’re feeling unhealthy or in pain. So make sure you eat well, exercise regularly and get plenty of sleep. 

This isn’t to say that you should laugh at everything. Of course you’ll have a wide range of emotions, and there are times when you’ll naturally feel sad, disappointed, upset or angry. It’s also not always appropriate to laugh. But if you can find ways to laugh the rest of the time, you’ll find life more enjoyable, and hopefully live longer. Which is the perfect reason to make laughing a New Year resolution.

Make New Year resolutions you’ll WANT to keep this year

Changing your life for the better (and increasing your chances of living longer) doesn’t have to mean making worthy resolutions that feel like a chore to keep. As you can see, there are lots of ways you can improve your life AND have more fun. So this year, why not make some fun, easy and happy New Year resolutions? 

About the Author: Hannah Martin

Hannah Martin is the founder of Rich Retiree. She is a qualified psychotherapist, hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner, and an expert on female finance and pensions. A former award-winning advertising copywriter, she is also the founder of Talented Ladies Club, a global online magazine for ambitious women.