Dick Van Dyke Turns 100 — The Science-Backed Habit Keeping Him Ageless

At 100, Dick Van Dyke is somehow doing the impossible: he looks happy, he sounds happy, and he keeps talking about his next gig like he’s 35 and between pilots. The man credits it mostly to how he lives — specifically, refusing to stew in anger — and, honestly, the receipts back him up.

The mindset: no time for hate

Van Dyke has always made it clear that he doesn’t have space for bitterness. He’s disagreed with people, sure, but he never let it curdle into full-on rage. His take on it is pretty simple and very him:

"I’ve always thought that anger and hate is one thing that eats up a person’s insides. There were things I didn’t like, people I don’t like and disapprove of. But I never really was able to do a white heat kind of hate."

That sunny outlook isn’t performative. It’s the operating system. And it’s hard to argue with the results when the guy is still out here dancing, working, and refusing to act his age.

The Arlene factor

A big piece of the puzzle is his wife, Arlene Silver. People who’ve spent time with them say they basically turn into kids together — singing, dancing, and performing just because it’s fun. If you’ve watched him light up when he moves, that checks out. It’s not nostalgia; it’s fuel.

Yes, the science actually backs this up

Van Dyke’s mantra — keep it positive, keep it moving — isn’t just feel-good talk. Decades ago, researchers had a group of young nuns write short autobiographies. When they checked back roughly 60 years later, the women who wrote more positively in their 20s tended to live longer. Since then, multiple studies have pointed in the same direction: optimists generally live longer and healthier than the doom-and-gloom crowd.

The why is pretty straightforward. Anger ramps up stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Keep that switch flipped long enough and you’re asking for cardiovascular trouble. In plain English: less simmering rage, better odds for your heart. And yes, that lines up with a 100-year-old Dick Van Dyke still bouncing around like a Broadway understudy.

Retire? He’d rather not

Plenty of people have told him to take it easy. He hates that plan. Acting and performing aren’t just a job for him — they’re how he stays himself. He’s not cagey about it either:

"I don’t want to. I mean, it’s my hobby. It’s my life. I love it. I’m looking for work right now."

And he’s got a very specific holiday itch he wants to scratch: he’d love to play Scrooge. It didn’t happen this year, but given his energy and, frankly, the way he refuses to slow down, pencil that in as a realistic wish for next Christmas.

Quick hits

• Age: 100. Mood: annoyingly upbeat in the best way.
• Career: still taking calls, still looking for work, still allergic to retirement.
• Signature credits: Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Night at the Museum — and yes, the man is an Emmy winner.
• Life philosophy: ditch the anger; it corrodes you from the inside out.
• Receipts: long-term research links optimism to longer, healthier lives; chronic anger and stress hormones are brutal on your heart.
• Support system: wife Arlene Silver, who keeps the music and dancing going.
• Dream role: Scrooge. Someone make that call.

Bottom line: the secret sauce isn’t a secret. Keep moving, keep laughing, don’t marinate in hate. It’s working for Dick Van Dyke — and, not for nothing, the science says it probably helps the rest of us too.