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Longevity
Jeanne-Louise Calment lived to be 122 years old, one of the longest confirmed human lifespans on record. The document discusses genetics and lifestyle factors that influence longevity, referencing fictional works like Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray that portrayed extended lifespans. It questions whether people truly want to live forever and emphasizes that strong relationships with others are most important for a good life.
Longevity
- 2. Jeanne-Louise Calment, 122Jeanne-LouiseCalment, 122
- 3. Genetics and LifestyleGeneticsand Lifestyle
- 4. Can we changegenetics?Can we change genetics? Cynthia Kenyon
- 5. History andHistory andLiteratureLiterature The Picture of Dorian GrayThe Picture of Dorian Gray FrankensteinFrankenstein
- 6. Outside of fictionOutsideof fiction Jeanne-Louise Calment, 122Jeanne-Louise Calment, 122
- 7. Do Do you wantto live forever?Do you want to live forever?
- 8. Look young, stayyoungLook young, stay young
- 9. RelationshipsRelationships "The only thing thatreally matters in life are your relationships to other people."
- 10. Is there anyoneyou can phoneIs there anyone you can phone at 4 in the morning?at 4 in the morning?
- 11. To help orbe helped?To help or be helped?
- 12. Live a goodlifeLive a good life
- 13.
Editor's Notes
- #2 All people want to live long. Unfortunately, the period of human life is limited. There are not so many people who lived up to 100 or longer. Nevertheless, the question of longevity has always interested people. The question interests me too. Is it possible to live forever?
- #3 First of all, I addressed Wiki. The person with the longest confirmed lifespan is Jeanne Calment from France. She lived to be 122 and died in 1997. What puzzled me greatly, Clement smoked until she was 117. What is more, other people who lived long, didn’t keep to a diet, some of them smoked, drank alcohol and never exercised. How could they live so long?
- #4 Evidence-based studies indicate that longevity is based on two major factors, genetics and lifestyle choices. It means, that we have genetic limits. But what if we can change our genetics?
- #5 By manipulating the genes of a worm, Cynthia Kenyon was able to increase its lifespan — by 6 times. Can this be done for humans? One day, possibly. But what would that really be like?
- #6 We can't be sure but looking at examples in history and literature, we may say that trying to live forever never works out well. Try to cheat death and you'll regret it.
- #7 And outside of fiction, remember that Clement lady I mentioned? Her husband died in 1942, but she lived another 55 years. In fact, she lived long enough to see her daughter and grandson die before she did. That's no fun.
- #8 Do people want to live forever? 60% of people when asked about how long they wanted to live answered 80 years, 30 percent said 120 years, 10 percent said 150 years. Only less than one percent said "forever." People don’t want to live forever; they want to live longer. They want to live a good life. And this to a great extend depends on how they see aging.
- #9 Make an effort to look young and act young, it will help you to stay young. It means doing sports, keeping fit and doing all kind of things to stay healthy.
- #10 On the other hand, the results of the Terman study say we should be a little more concerned about our friends than our body: "The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people."
- #11 Ask yourself: "Is there someone in your life whom you would feel comfortable phoning at four in the morning to tell your troubles to?" If your answer is yes, you will likely live longer than someone whose answer is no.
- #12 It is good if a person has friends and relatives to count on when having a hard time then that person would be healthier. But the research showed it wasn't getting help from others that conferred a long life. It was giving help.
- #13 In conclusion I’d like to say that we may not be able to live forever, but we can live a good life. Be happy. Be optimistic. Laugh a lot. Get enough sleep. Stay out of debt. Forgive.