Doing math every day may add to longevity

Asians are known the world over as being "good at math". This is a stereotype perpetuated by popular culture in the West.

But is there some truth to it? Probably, and I can see how it happens. I've observed that in daily life, Chinese people do more math than those in the United States. In fact, one can even say daily life in China is an ongoing math test. I can think of three examples, starting with shopping.

Walk into any department store in Beijing, chances are there is a sale going on. You will see signs with a single digit number and a Chinese character prominently displayed next to the sale products. Some shoppers may jump to the conclusion that 70 percent must mean a 70 percent discount. Alas, the Chinese system encourages shoppers to go one extra step in calculating their discount: i.e., 70 percent means you pay 70 percent, resulting in a 30 percent discount. Some adults in the West couldn't do this simple math in their heads. Because, why would you need to? We left all that behind in elementary school.