What's The Secret To A Long & Happy Life?

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- If you could pick one age to stay at, what would it be?

Actress Betty White turned 96 this week, and says she's "happy with her age." But not everyone feels the same!

CBS2's Lisa Rozner recently found out what the perfect age is, and what the secret to living long and healthy is.

Epidemiologist Dr. Jay Olshansky studies how to slow the biological process of aging, and says the age you prefer depends on what you value.

The average, he says, is 50-years-old.

"If you value your physical health, everyone will say early 20s, sometimes early 30s," he said. "If you value your financial security, people will say sometime in your 50s, maybe 60s."

For mental health, people typically go with their 60s all the way to their 80s.

Betty White says her secret to living long is vodka and hot dogs, but Dr. Olshansky says these aren't probably why she's living so long. It's morso genetics.

"There's no question it's genetic," he said. "There's no ambiguity there. The question is precisely what is it in her genes that is allowing her to age at a slower pace biologically."

Upper West Side resident Roberta Baldno shares a birthday with White, but she just turned 61. Her secret, she says, is spending a lot of time with friends and away from her phone.

Fort Lee resident Richard Faugno, 78, says his secret is a healthy dose of sausage, peppers, and pizza.

No matter what, Dr. Olshansky says there's something everyone can do to slow down the aging process -- old fashioned exercise.