Not too long ago, an important study took place in the town of Roseto, Pennsylvania. The results are especially potent today, suggesting that relief for stress comes in a surprisingly straightforward and perhaps wildly effective form. The only problem is that a lot of the institutions that sponsored such a healthy and long lifespan are going away, if not gone entirely.

Let’s start from the beginning. In the 1950s and 60s, Roseto had established itself as a small dot along the mid-Atlantic, a working-class town of primarily Italian-Americans. The town was named after Roseto Valfortore, a place in Italy where the original inhabitants came from (in fact, the vast majority remain descendants of the original inhabitants).