On the BBC’s Horizon programme about longevity, there was one characteristic shared by all the communities of long living people which they studied – it was the sense that they were connected to something greater than themselves, expressed either through adherence to particular religious beliefs, or, at least, to having a sense of meaning, or purpose in life. The books I’ve read about happiness often stress this feature too.
In one community, the main characteristic highlighted was their healthy, colourful diet; in another it was their commitment to regular exercise and in a third it was a genetic factor prevalent through close knit marriages. But all three shared this characteristic of feeling that life had a purpose, or rather that their individual lives were meaningful. How interesting that this is the one common feature – not something physical at all, but something social and cultural. Turns out the communities we live in are important after all – no man is an island!
Heroes Not Zombies 
Just came back to this. It is fascinating, in the light of Maslow’s later work (where he revised his heirarchy of human needs). Was he mentioned in the program?
No Benjamin, don’t recall that he was