Longevity
Our culture is obsessed with living longer, but you may be better off focusing on living better
The search for eternal life is, well, eternal.
From Gilgamesh to Ponce de Leon, we humans have always searched for ways to outlast death.
Things are no different today. If anything, our search for immortality has accelerated.
The longevity business is booming, and people are flocking to clinics and seeking advice from biohackers who insist we can live forever, or at least until 180.
Unfortunately, most longevity “solutions” seem to be modern versions of Clark Stanley’s Snake Oil Liniment, marketed brilliantly in the late 19th century as “Good For Everything a Liniment Ought to Be Good For.”
Even well-respected scientists, like Harvard geneticist David Sinclair, have made unproven claims in an attempt to cash-in on our desire to reverse aging.
The truth is that how long we live is much more complex than social media influencers looking to make a buck want us to believe.
Lifespan is impacted by our habits, genes, occupations, how much money we make, and plain old dumb luck. The only thing we know for sure is that our lives have a limit.
The problem is our basic biology. As we grow older, cells and tissues accumulate damage, and our ability to repair this damage diminishes. In short, human evolution favors growth and reproduction not old age.
But this doesn’t stop us from trying.
Modern culture has always revered youth, and we’re all susceptible to the lure of products aimed at helping ward off the inevitable.
But these attempts focus solely on lengthening our lives, not on improving them.
As for me, I’m more concerned with the quality of my life, and increasing my health span, defined as the number of years I’m physically and mentally vital.
Increasing our health span is a much better – and more realistic -- goal. One reason is that even as statistics show we’re living longer, we are spending less time in good health.
When I was writing for Men’s Health, I once interviewed a group of 100-year-old men in an effort to discover the secret to living a long life.
Interestingly, not one of them bought into fads diets or protocols like intermittent fasting, compulsive exercise, cold plunges, or excessive supplementation.
But they all stayed active, often working into their 90s. They had hobbies, volunteered, invested time in friendships, and were closely connected to family and faith-based organizations.
The biggest challenge they faced as they got older? Outliving their spouses and friends.
Second? Not being able to drive. One interviewee told me he would rather die than lose the independence that comes with being able to drive.
As I ponder my own rapid accumulation of years, I often think of my dad.
He lived to 89 and was sharp and curious until the very end. He lived a simple life of moderation, but fed his interests – grand kids, day trading and Big Ten sports – enthusiastically.
Especially in his later years, he loved to go to happy hour at his senior living complex. He found great comfort in his conversations with the eclectic mix of former businessmen, professors, and artists in his community.
As someone who has worked in health and fitness for most of my adult life, I try to consistently focus on the big levers – diet, exercise, and sleep -- I can pull to increase my chances of living better, longer.
I don’t blame anyone who has the money and time to try the latest methods pitched to help us live longer. But it may be more useful to investigate ways to find more connection and meaning in the years we have.
Worth Reading:
The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness, by Dr. Robert Waldinger.
A medical doctor and Zen priest, Waldinger’s Harvard Study on Adult Development reveals that the strength of our relationships is the best predictor of our health future.
I also encourage you to read the obituary for Dr. Ruth Westheimer. A 4-foot-7 dynamo, she was in her 50s when she began her signature work as a sex therapist on radio and television, but she was much more.
As a young girl in Germany, she narrowly missed being sent to a Nazi concentration camp where her family was killed. This experience infused her with a sense of purpose.
After moving to New York and working as a maid, she became a psychotherapist, and committed her life to the concept of tikkun olam, Hebrew for “repairing the world.” In her later years, she worked to help address the loneliness epidemic during the pandemic.
The Best Things Ever Said About: Longevity
“Since our society equates happiness with youth, we often assume that sorrow, quiet desperation, and hopelessness go hand in hand with getting older. They don't. Emotional pain or numbness are symptoms of living the wrong life, not a long life.” – Martha Beck
“It's paradoxical, that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone.” – Andy Rooney
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