The older, the wiser. If that's the case, then María Branyas Morera would be the wisest person in the world.
A San Francisco native, Morera was born in 1907, one year after her parents emigrated to the U.S.. She returned to Spain eight years later, settling in the northeastern region of Catalonia, because "Germany was still attacking the North, and you couldn’t go through the Nordic seas."
And here, she has been verified by Guinness World Records as the oldest living person at 115 years and 321 days old, after the death of French nun Lucile Randon, (Sister Andre), at age 118.
Not only that Morera is confirmed as the oldest living person, because the senior citizen is also an active Twitter user.
"I am old, very old, but not an idiot," her Twitter bio reads.
María Branyas Morera is the new oldest person in the world...https://t.co/P8w6M9Qhl1
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) January 20, 2023
She frequently uses the social media platform to share her own words of wisdom, with the help of her daughter.
"Life is not eternal for anyone… At my age, a new year is a gift, a humble celebration, a new adventure, a beautiful journey, a moment of happiness. Let’s enjoy life together," she said in a tweet at New Year’s Day.
She attributes her longevity to "order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people."
"I think longevity is also about being lucky. Luck and good genetics."
La vida no és eterna per a ningú... A la meva edat, un nou any, és un regal, una humil celebració, una nova aventura, un bell viatge, un instant de felicitat. Gaudim la vida junts.
— Super Àvia Catalana (@MariaBranyas112) January 1, 2023
As the oldest person on Earth, Morera survived World War I and World War II, the Spanish Civil War, and the Spanish Flu pandemic.
As a matter of fact, Morera also fought off COVID-19 in 2020.
She contracted the virus weeks after celebrating her 113th birthday.
This made her the world’s oldest COVID-19 survivor, before her record was broken by Lucile Randon later that year.
"This pandemic has revealed that older people are the forgotten ones of our society," she said in an interview at the time.
As the oldest living person, Morera also witnessed a remarkable number of technological advances.
And Twitter is where she took advantages of.
In addition to the microblogging platform, she also has a voice-to-text device which allows her family to easily communicate with her, given that she’s extremely hard of hearing.
Morera said she lost her hearing on one of her ears after she fell while playing with her brothers, way back when she was still a child.
un capellà disponible i una nova autorització del Bisbat. També calia avisar al restaurant de que el dinar seria un sopar. El casament de les 12, es va fer cap a les 7 de la tarda. Amb els convidats, una trentena, passàvem el temps contemplant el magnífic panorama que es pic.twitter.com/k4K5sjjHpi
— Super Àvia Catalana (@MariaBranyas112) November 5, 2022
Morera's late husband, Joan Moret, whom she married in 1931, was a doctor. Together, they have three children.
In total, Morera has 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
"She is in good health and continues to be surprised and grateful for the attention that this anniversary has generated," the Residència Santa María del Tura nursing home said in a statement.
Morera has been living there for more than two decades.
"To celebrate this very special event we will have a small celebration behind closed doors in the residence in the coming days."