Live Longer and Stronger!
Hello, friends! We hope you all had a fantastic Independence Day this week. Over the holiday, between BBQs and swims and Allison belting out “Hamilton” songs at the top of her lungs, we got to talking about longevity in America as compared to the rest of the world. We wondered, how does our life expectancy hold up here in the land of the red, white, and blue, and why?
Your authors are both 39 years old (young enough to be called “young;” old enough for saggy neck skin, among other things. According to current studies, Tom will live to the age of 79 and Allison will live to 81. That puts us squarely in the zone of “middle life,” despite the cultural concept of middle life being around 50-60 years of age. Let’s just go ahead and breeze past that though, before Allison races out and buys herself a mid-life crisis MINI Cooper Countryman convertible with a tan leather interior, a Rebel Green exterior. Just, you know, for example, off the top of my head.
Above, a photo Tom took of a wine grower showing off his soil for Bedrock Wine Co., we also thought it looked like the sand of an hour glass symbolizing the passing of time.
Tom had a meeting a few years back with the CEO Eric Verdin of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and he told Tom that for every 10 years of scientific research, we get two more years of life. Meaning, we have forty years of future research between now and the time Tom and Allison hit our current life expectancy of around 80, so we can tack on two years per decade for another 8 years each. Hypothetically then, our life expectancy could be closer to 90. (Obviously, we will most likely live much longer thanks to everything we’ve learned producing Age and Prosper!)
Life Expectancy in 2021
Above a map from Our World in Data, show casing the life expectancy from around the world.
So, where are people living the longest? You’ll never guess which country is leading! Or at least, we wouldn’t have guessed. According to World Population Review, Monaco has the longest life expectancy of any country. Monaco, the playground of the rich and famous! (Note to self: research causal relationship between casinos and longevity.) Only kidding; Monaco likely leads due to its Mediterranean diet, top-notch, state-funded healthcare, and majority percentage of residents with a hearty disposable income.
Unfortunately, the United States barely eeks out a spot in the top 50, and our life expectance in this country is decreasing (more on that below). Still, we sit above the global average.
Let not this be cause for concern, readers. Let this be a greater impetus to take good care of our health!
Below are three articles on life expectancy and what you can do to help increase your years (hint, it has to do with diet, sleep, exercise, being social, and challenging your brain):
- This article from NPR showcases why life expectancy is down due to Covid-19 and the opioid crisis.
- I would make time to read this article and print it from The New York Times titled “How Long Can We Live?,” discussing how elderly individuals are beating the life-threatening illnesses of their age groups and entering a new era in their lives.
- This feature from U.S. News will help you calculate the amount of money you need to retire on depending on your life expectancy.
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