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The oldest living American is a Charlotte, NC woman named Hester Ford, who is either 115 or 116 years old (the record is fuzzy.)
Unfortunately, if she has the secret to a long and happy life on this earth (and how she managed not to be hospitalized until age 108!), she’s not talking. “I just live right, all I know,” Ford told her local CBS TV station in August.
But while Miss Ford may not know why she’s made it this far, we do know that there are some misconceptions about longevity that we need to clear up.
Myth: A sunny, optimistic disposition increases your life span.