Lamont, who is a resident of the care home Murrayside, turned 102 years old on Friday. She revealed the secret to her long life, saying a good glass of wine, lots of laughter, and sharing compassion with those around one’s self is the secret to a long and happy life.
The Edinburgh centenarian celebrated her 102 years with chocolate cake and a singer who serenaded her with songs of her choice. Lamont is a life-long resident of Edinburgh and says she is an admirer of the city’s scenery and historic architecture.
“We could certainly learn a lot from Alice’s secrets to a long life! It was wonderful to discuss these and hear her life stories when marking such a momentous birthday,” said Suzanne Welsh, the home manager at Murrayside.
“Alice is a much-loved resident at the home, she’s always looking out for others and making everyone laugh. We were honored to raise a glass to her incredible life so far and we are so proud to have her as part of our Murrayside family,” added Welsh.
Centenarians are those who live past the age of 100 years old, and in 2021 more than half a million people around the world were 100-years-old or older. About 97,000 centenarians lived in the United States last year, and Japan had about 79,000 people who were 100 years or older in 2021, with 0.06% of their population being made up of centenarians.
The oldest person who ever lived was a French woman named Jeanne Calment who died at the age of 122 years old. Calment, born 14 years before the Eiffel Tower was built, died in 1997. The French had their own theories about Calment’s secrets for longevity, including eating more than two pounds of chocolate a week, treating her skin with olive oil, and riding a bicycle until the age of 100, and only quitting smoking five years before her death.
But Jean-Marie Robine, who wrote a book on Calment, says she thinks the secret to long life lies elsewhere.
''I think she was someone who, constitutionally and biologically speaking, was immune to stress,'' said Robine, the year Calment died. ''She once said, 'If you can't do anything about it, don't worry about it.'''
There are several factors which may contribute to long life, including good genes. Dr. Angel Iscovich, a former emergency medicine physician, wrote that routine, even unhealthy ones such as daily consumption of sugary drinks or fatty foods, can help a person to live longer. It’s the routine, says Iscovich, more than the habit that helps centenarians live for so long.