If you wish to live many years, then, by all means, don’t waste a minute, move to Greece.

There, the average life expectancy is 81.94 years, according to 2019 data. By contrast the average life expectancy in the United States as a whole is only 77 years. This is a huge difference in a matter where every second counts.

Now, if you wish to stay in the United States but want to improve your longevity, then look at your options carefully.

So, which state should you choose to live in?

First and foremost, move away from New York. Yes, unfortunately that’s what the numbers show.

According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the average life expectancy in New York decreased by …3.0 years from 2019 to 2021.

A huge decrease…

Where should you go? Go west and preferably, to the other side of America, and even off the mainland…Hawaii. It’s where people, on average, live longer than any other state in the United States – 80.7 years.

California comes in second with a 79.2 year lifespan.

Other states with high life expectancy numbers are Minnesota, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire – northern states, as you’ll notice.

The average life expectancy in the United States, according to the study, was significantly reduced in 2020 due to the coronavirus to 77 years, as I noted above. It decreased by 1.8 years. This is the biggest drop since at least World War II.

Mississippi has the lowest life expectancy at 72.9 years.

The coronavirus was the third leading cause of death, with around 350,000 deaths. First was heart disease, second was cancer, and then the coronavirus.

One reason life expectancy in some states is so low is because of the accumulated effects of poverty, racism, and discrimination, according to the study.

Well, now we know what we who live in New York must do to live longer: Move to Hawaii, California, or if they seem far away, to neighboring Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

But if, like so many millions, you prefer to live in New York, with its uniqueness, opportunities, all that it offers – those lures make it a magnet for millions of people from all over the world – then do yourself a favor: Don’t stress so much…life is short – “dust in the wind” like the song says. Don’t rush so much to get things done. The faster you run the faster you will reach your… grave.

Oh, and one more thing. Get off that couch you’re sitting on watching TV and walk as much as you can.

It helps. You will ask me, “do you do it?” I try, sometimes. Like most people, I also have too many tasks to do all the time – i.e. I am racing now to finish this column so that the publication of the newspaper will not be delayed – to attend to the most important things: my health and longevity.