I’d say if you’re using Rapamycin, you can shift the percentages in the snippet below down a level and have a 75% chance of living to 112 if you have the right genes.
About 25% of your ability to live to 90 is determined by genetics, says Dr. Thomas Perls, a professor of medicine at Boston University who leads the New England Centenarian Study, which has followed centenarians and their family members since 1995. By age 100, it’s roughly 50% genetic, he estimates, and by around 106, it’s 75%.
“Super-agers,” or people over the age of 80 whose cognitive abilities are on par with those 20 to 30 years younger, reported having more warm, trusting, high-quality relationships with other people than cognitively normal participants, investigators at Northwestern University found.
“Keeping in good relationships could be one key to healthspan,” says Amanda Cook Maher, a neuropsychologist at the University of Michigan and lead author of the study.
I’m a cantankerous loner. No kids.
Looks like I have little chance of making it to 100.
But then, my great-grandfather lived with his cat (after his wife died) and made it to 95. If his dinner wasn’t on the table by exactly 6 PM he’d refuse it and eat bread and cheese instead.
Perhaps that is part of it, but I also suspect it relates to stress hormones (positive relationships are likely to result in lower cortisol / glucocorticoid levels, etc.), cognitive engagement, sense of purpose, … lots of things I imagine.
I’m sure it’s not just a proxy for activity. The mind is powerful. We talk about the placebo effect like it’s no big deal, but to me it’s one of the most fascinating phenomena known to man. You can think yourself well.
Yes; that accurately sums me up. I don’t “need” other people. I happily live on my own. Do my own thing. I “tolerate” required gatherings such as special birthdays, funerals, etc but I’m always glancing at my watch wondering how soon I can leave.
I’ve never had a desire to commit crimes or harm others.
“Asocial” is me!
@ DrT I find it quite normal. I also enjoy living alone and do my own things, but I need friends to socialize and talk from time to time. I don’t tolerate crowds and big gatherings. Living alone without feeling lonely creates healthy environment with less stress. My mother, 91 now, has been living alone for over 40 years and is pretty happy about it.
Actually he died of a strangulated hernia, which, in this day and age, might have been treated. (Not in 1935.) Who knows how much longer he could have lasted?
I do hope science finds a way to address the seemingly fixed 25% genetic component. My genetics are downright awful, which makes my dream of 100+ a bit of a delusion. However at 39, I hope there’s time for progress on the genetic front. I take 12 mg/day astaxanthin, based on mouse studies suggesting it activates the FOXO gene. But for now, I ought to pair my rapamycin with a more positive outlook
